The Lost Legend of the Triforce
by The Dark Marauder
Summary: Long have the people of Hyrule passed down the tale of the Triforce and its power. Yet part of the legend was lost long ago or rather it was hidden. But soon the lost legend of the Triforce will be uncovered and with it, an unspeakable evil will awaken.
1. Chapter One: The Tyfirian Rebellion

Author's Note: I'll warn you ahead of time, no characters from any previous Zelda game are in this chapter, but Link will make his appearance in chapter two. After chapter three, the story will start to focus on Link as the main character. So if you will please read to at least chapter four, I think you'll enjoy this story. By the way, this fic is finished, so there is no need to worry about when the next chapter will be out.

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**Chapter One: The Tyfirian Rebellion**

"Dig you worthless slaves!" the taskmaster shouted as he whipped one of the less productive men. As he was struck, the slave let out a pathetic groan and collapsed on the ground.

"Water," he whispered to the taskmaster, stretching out his hand. His remaining strength then gave out and his face fell into the sand.

"Worthless slaves like you don't deserve water. Now get back to work!" the taskmaster commanded, as he kicked the fallen old man in the ribs as hard as he could. The man did not move. "Take him away," the slave driver ordered to two nearby soldiers. The soldiers rushed over, threw the withered man's arms over their shoulders, and carried him off.

The sun was setting in the west, but its blistering rays were still beating down upon the bare backs of the slaves laboring in the Dibrrian Desert. They were all working tirelessly. The intense heat caused all the slaves to thirst for water. Water, which could only be provided by one twelve year-old slave boy, who carried a pail full of water to all the dehydrated slaves.

These particular slaves had a simple task, which was to dig. Dig, that was it, dig until they bleed and then dig some more. Actually, their job was a little more complicated than that. They were in fact excavating what was thought to be an ancient city, which had been buried underneath the sands of the desert.

It had all begun, when a wandering Hylian, accidentally discovered a spire with odd markings on it, sticking out of the sand in the middle of nowhere. He reported this strange find to the king of the land of Cyntir, who ordered the spire to be dug up immediately. As the excavation progressed, it became apparent that the wandering Hylian had found much more than a simple spire, rather he found the tip of an ancient temple. This discovery intrigued the king. He loved studying the ancients and their magic. He thought, that by mimicking their ways a nation would become more prolific.

After the temple was uncovered, the Cyntirian king ordered an excavation of the land around the temple, for he thought if there was a temple, there must have been a settlement near by it. Hundreds of slaves were brought to the site and were forced to dig; many of which died during the tremendous physical strain. The excavation had been going on for three months, but not so much as a piece of pottery had been found. Yet, the King of Cyntir ordered the slaves to continue digging.

The King could not believe a temple of such fine workmanship, would be built more than two hundred miles away from the nearest settlement. This caused the king to hold on to the belief that there was a settlement buried close by, despite the fact that most of his advisors thought that the temple was not a temple at all, but a safe, built far way from any settlement to protect some treasure. They believed that was the reason the temple doors would not open. Even when bombs were used to blast the doors, nothing happened. In either case, the king was determined to find the purpose of this mysterious building.

The soldiers carried the fallen slave to a pile of other presumed dead slaves and flung him on top. They then hurried off to resume their duties. As soon as they were gone the old man's eyes shot open. He scanned his surroundings to make sure no one was watching him, and then he hopped off the hill of dead men once he saw that he was clear. He walked over to where the other slaves were working, ducking behind boulders, mounds of sand, and a few tents on the way.

At last the man came to the slave pit where the young water boy was handing out the rejuvenating liquid. The boy was very tall for his age; he had short blonde hair and icy grey eyes. The old slave looked around again, to make sure no one could see him. Once he was confident he was out of sight he made a strange bird call. The water boy looked up dropping the pail on the ground, causing the water to dump out. The boy picked up the pail and started to run off.

"Where do you think you're going kid?" asked a soldier as he grabbed the water boy's arm.

"I need to refill the bucket," the boy replied, showing the soldier the empty pail. The soldier gave the boy an odd look and then released him. "Be quick about it," the soldier called out as the boy ran off.

The boy ran half way to the water well, then dashed behind a near by sand mound. He carefully worked his way back to where he had heard the bird call and found the old man hiding behind a boulder.

"What took you so long?" inquired the old man, but the boy did not have a chance to reply before the old man started talking again. "Follow me," the man instructed, "I have something to show you." The man and the boy made their way to the back of the temple in a stealthy manner. When they arrived at the temple's rear the old man asked the boy, "Ormek, what do you see here?"

"Just the back wall of the temple, Gramps," he answered.

The old man snickered and said, "Watch closely." The old slave began feeling the bricks of the wall and applying a bit of pressure to several of them, as if he was looking for something. Finally both his hands stopped on the same brick. He pushed on the brick and it moved back into the wall and a small passage opened at the base of the wall, just large enough for an adult to crawl through. "Follow me Ormek," the old man said as he dropped to his knees and began crawling through the passage. Ormek nodded and did the same.

The inside of the temple was full of cobwebs and everything was covered in dust. It was quite evident that no one had entered the temple in many years. The old man was busy clearing out a bunch of cobwebs when Ormek asked, "How did you find the way in here Gramps?"

"I was working back here yesterday," Ormek's grandfather replied, "when I leaned on the side of the temple to take a little rest. I accidentally pushed in the key brick and the passage opened. I didn't dare enter it then, cause I was scared the slave driver or one of the soldiers would see me go in. So I pushed the brick again and it popped out and closed the door."

Ormek's grandfather lit a torch using a tinderbox he kept with him at all times and began examining the inscriptions on the walls. "Wow," Ormek whispered still in amazement as the torch lit up the walls and revealed that the walls were covered with inscriptions. "Gramps," he said ecstatically, "everyone has been looking for a way into the temple for months."

"That's right my boy," his grandfather confirmed, "but remember, you must not tell anyone. Only you and I may know about this. If anyone else found out about it, they'd take credit for finding it themselves." Upon hearing this Ormek sighed. "Come now," his grandfather said, "let us explore.

The chamber was shaped like a giant cube. Each wall was covered in ancient writings and hieroglyphs, including the ceiling. The floor was made of granite and was for the most part unremarkable. There was however a small pedestal in the exact middle of the room. On top of the pedestal there was a small hole about as wide as the shaft of a spear.

The old man stroked his snowy white beard as he contemplated the inscriptions and hieroglyphs. "Well this is rather odd," said the old man.

"Do you understand what these markings mean?" asked Ormek eagerly.

"No," the old man replied, "I've never seen this type of writing. It must be in some ancient text. However, the hieroglyphs are quite clear. They all seem to be focused around three large triangles." The old man paused for a second and then said, "I wonder if this has to do with the legend of the Triforce passed down in Hyrule. No, that can't be right. This hieroglyph here shows some sort of bird carrying a fourth triangle. It's carrying it away from the other triangles. What is that supposed to mean."

The old man started walking around the room some more and stopped by another set of hieroglyphics and held his torch up to them. "This set shows a man placing an odd looking staff in a pedestal."

"I wonder if it's referring to the pedestal in the middle of the room." commented Ormek, but his grandfather was too interested in the pictographs to hear him.

Ormek sat on the floor waiting for more interpretations about the hieroglyphs, when suddenly his grandfather cried out, "Ah ha! Here are some writings in Hyrulian. It says, 'This is the Temple of Knowledge, wherein lies a gate to a secluded part of the Sacred Realm. Proceed with caution, for the essence of evil awaits the one who will claim the lost piece on the other side.' Hmm, this is rather odd indeed."

The old man picked up a piece of parchment lying on the ground and copied the markings below the Hyrulian inscription using a soft rock. When he was finished he folded up the parchment and handed it to Ormek. He turned back to the inscriptions and asked, "Ormek, do you realize what this means?"

"It means we shall be rewarded greatly by the king," chimed in an unfamiliar voice. Ormek and his grandfather turned around to see three Cyntirian soldiers by the entrance. "Thanks a lot slave," one of the soldiers said as he approached the old man and the boy.

"The reward is ours!" shouted Ormek.

"Don't worry little brat," the soldier said cruelly as he approached Ormek, "I have a reward for you, right here." With that the soldier pulled out his sword and with two quick cuts, he sliced off the tips of Ormek's ears. The cuts left one ear only about as long as a Gerudo's, the other only about half an inch longer. The soldier raised his sword to slay the boy, upon seeing this the old man went out of control and rushed the soldier. Already on his guard, the soldier ran his sword through the old slave's stomach. Ormek watched in terror as blood began to steam from his grandfather's mouth.

"Run boy!" the dying man uttered as he fell on top of the soldier who stabbed him.

Ormek took off toward the entrance at full speed. Just before the first guard grabbed him, Ormek dived in between his legs. His momentum carried him to the passage. Ormek started crawling through the hole just as the second guard grabbed his ankle.

"I got him!" called out the soldier as laid on the floor. Ormek thrashed about, trying to break free, but the soldier's grip was too strong. The soldier started pulling him back into the temple, but Ormek reached out and grabbed a fist full of sand. Once he had been pulled back in the temple, he flung the sand into the soldier's eyes. He howled in pain and instinctively let go of Ormek's leg and covered his eyes. Now free, the boy shot through the passage. Once he was out, he found the brick that had been pressed in and pulled it out again. The small passage closed, locking the three soldiers and the old man inside. They were all trapped in there, for they did not know how to open the passage from within the temple.

Still in shock, Ormek kept running, he ran past the well and past a group of soldiers. They ran after him, yelling at him to stop, but Ormek did not listen to them. He used the darkness of the night to hide himself from them, but their torches uncovered him. Still, he kept running. The fastest soldier had almost caught Ormek, when something grabbed the soldier's leg and pulled him under the sand. He let out a scream just as his head was pulled under. Ormek heard the soldier's cry, but he did not look back. The other soldiers stopped upon seeing this and started to run back to camp. "It's a veriok," one of them cried as he saw a long scaly tail wrap up another one of his companions. Ormek continued on into the cold desert night. Despite all the screams of terror coming from the soldiers, he never once looked back.

Ormek ran until he could no longer see the fires burning at the excavation site. He slowed to a jog then a walk. A gust of wind blew on Ormek. It chilled his bones and threw sand in his face. A piece of sand lodged itself in his eye, causing it to water. A tear rolled down Ormek's cheek and dropped into the sand. That single tear triggered a reaction in Ormek. Soon not one but many tears were steaming down his face. Ormek dropped to his knees and let out a little groan. He could not imagine how he could go on with out his grandfather. Ormek now no longer had any living family. He was completely alone in the world. Not only that, he had nowhere to go. He was a renegade slave and no one would be willing to help him. Plus he was in the middle of the desert, with no food and no water. Still with these thoughts dominating his mind, a laugh, small and soft escaped his mouth. Some how during all the commotion, Ormek had forgotten that he was no longer a slave. He was free. All his life he dreamt about being free. Now he was. No one knew he was a slave, so at least he had anonymity on his side. All he had to do is find his way out of the desert.

Ormek got up and started walking in the direction he had previously been moving. He walked through the desert all night in the icy cold. His fingers were almost like ice when the sun arose that morning. Soon the cold changed to heat as the sun beat down on the already exhausted straggler. He continued on for many hours in the sun. As the day grew hot, Ormek's throat became dry and he began to feel dizzy. Ormek was desperate to find a water source, for he knew he could only last a few more hours in the desert with absolutely no water. Luckily, Ormek came to an oasis after another two hours of traipsing through the desert.

Ormek made his way to the oasis's water hole and knelt down by it. He cupped his hands and plunged them into the water and splashed his face with some. He then scooped up some more water in his hands and quickly drank it all. Ormek decided he would relax at the oasis for a while. There where small animals there that he could kill and eat, using rocks scattered around the oasis, the water supply was plentiful, and there were many palm trees which provided shade.

Even with all the necessities of survival at this oasis, Ormek was still uneasy. He did not want to spend the rest of his life at the oasis. He couldn't risk trying to cross the desert though, he would most likely die, and he certainly couldn't go back to the temple. It seemed that his only chance was to stay put and hope some opportunity would present itself.

At this point Ormek was very tired from walking all night and morning, so he decided to take a nap underneath the shade of a palm tree. He sat down, with his back propped up against the trunk of the tree. He shut his eyes and tried to forget the events of the previous day. He had just about dosed off when he heard a quiet voice. He jumped right up and looked around to see if he could find where the voice was coming from. As he searched the oasis frantically, he spotted three fairies.

The first two fairies he saw emitted green and blue light, common colors for fairies to be, but the third was a quite rare. Its center was black, but it emitted a dim blue light. "Just leave us alone Shriek," the green fairy said.

"C'mon, why I can't play with you guys?" inquired the black fairy.

"Because you're weird." The blue fairy said scornfully. The two normal fairies began to laugh and fly away. With that the black fairy began to shake. It then let out a high pitched scream. The scream caused Ormek to feel a little pain in his left ear. The shriek had a different effect on the fairies. They howled in pain for a while, but soon dropped to the ground.

"Jerks," mumbled the black fairy as he began to fly away. Ormek was intrigued by what the black fairy had done, but more importantly he hoped the fairy could help him out.

"Excuse me!" Ormek called out. The fairy turned around startled. Upon seeing that it was a Hylian that had approached him, the black fairy let out another shrill cry. "You know that's really annoying," Ormek said rubbing his left ear. The black fairy stopped and looked at Ormek strangely.

"What's up with you?" asked the fairy, "Normally a cry like that puts a Hylian clean out."

"Why is that?" questioned Ormek.

"Well," the fairy replied "It's at a sound that causes most Hylians to pass out."

"It must be the high-pitch that does it," Ormek commented, "I can barely hear it out of my left ear and with my right I can't hear it at all."

"Oh I see," said the fairy looking at Ormek's ears. "Your ears are very short for a Hylian." With that comment, Ormek remembered the tips of his ears had been cut off. "That's why it doesn't affect you," he continued. "Your ears aren't long enough to pick up that high of a frequency. So, um, what's with your ears anyway?"

"Some greedy Cyntirian cut the tips of them off," Ormek answered angrily.

"Oh that's too bad," the fairy sympathized "Um, anyway, my name is Shriek, what's yours?" Ormek looked at Shriek, smiled and told him his name. "Nice to meet ya." Shriek replied.

"Soooo, I was wondering," Ormek said after he made the fairy's acquaintance, "do you know of any nearby settlements, preferably slave free ones?"

"There's a camp about five miles north of here." Ormek looked in the direction Shriek motioned towards, to make sure he was not talking about the excavation site.

"Can you guide me there? That is if it's not too much trouble." Ormek asked.

"Sure thing, follow me." Shriek replied.

The two hurried off towards the camp. At first Ormek ran, but slowed down after a short while. He had almost forgotten how tired he was. The camp came into view, just as the sun was beginning to set. The camp was immense to say the least. Hundreds of small one-man tents were scattered all through out the sands of the desert.

"Thank you Shriek," Ormek said, "I'm so glad you were willing to help me."

As they approached the camp they began to see how large it was. There were enough tents to provide shelter for one thousand people. "Whoa!" Ormek exclaimed as his jaw dropped, "this camp is huge…. Well thanks for the help Shriek. You can go home now."

"Oh, right," Shriek said as his wings drooped. He began to fly away, when Ormek called out.

"You can stick around if you want to."

"Really?" Shriek asked in an excited tone. He flew back to Ormek and sat on his shoulder.

While walking through the camp, Ormek realized most the people were men, all of them armed with all sorts of weapons. "This must be a military camp," said Ormek. Just then, a man tossed him a sword and said"Hey boy, clean my blade for me will ya."

"Clean it yourself," Ormek snapped throwing the sword back at the man.

"You've got some nerve kid," the man said angrily, "we take you little squires in-training along with us after you told us how useful you'd be, and then you refuse to do your chores.

"I'm no squire." Ormek shot back.

"Just what are you then?" the man asked.

Ormek paused and then asked Shriek in a whisper, "Are you absolutely certain the guys are anti-slavery?" Shriek nodded.

"Well?" the man said waiting for an answer.

"I'm an escaped slave," replied Ormek.

"Big deal we all are," laughed the man.

"You are, that's great, because I just escaped last night." Ormek said with relief.

"You did? How'd you find us so quickly?" inquired the man.

"Luck, I guess," Ormek said.

"Where'd you escape from?" asked the man.

"The temple excavation site," answered Ormek.

"Really? Come with me then, I want you to meet some one," The man said as if lost in thought.

Ormek was taken to a large tent, inside there were many maps, and men looking at each of them. Ormek was taken to a man suited in tattered, slightly rusty armor. "General Talrid," the man who was guiding Ormek said, "I've just found a boy who wandered into to our camp who claims he recently escaped from the excavation site."

"Is that so?" Talrid questioned.

"Yes sir," Ormek replied.

Talrid looked at Ormek very carefully for a few seconds then asked, "Can you tell me how heavily guarded the slaves there are?"

"It wasn't very hard for me to escape," Ormek said. "Though, that's probably because not many slaves try to escape in a desert this size.

"Are there many soldiers stationed there?" Talrid continued.

"Just enough to keep the slaves in line, about five hundred or so," replied Ormek.

"Excellent!" Talrid said under his breath.

"Why do you care so much?" Ormek questioned.

"Because we are of the infamous Tyfirian Rebellion. It is our job to care about these slaves," Talrid said authoritatively.

"Excuse me, who?" Ormek asked shaking his head.

Talrid gave Ormek a look of utter shock. "You've never heard of us," he asked.

"Why? Should I have?" Ormek asked.

"Yes, we're the group of free slaves, who travel all around Cyntir, freeing our brethren." Talrid said.

"You mean to say, you are going to liberate all the slaves at the excavation site? Right?" Ormek inquired with great excitement. Talrid simply nodded his head.

"Is there anyway I can help?" asked Ormek eagerly.

"You already have son," said Talrid, "You've given us some valuable information about that excavation site. Now we know we have enough men to take it."

"No, I mean can I help with the fighting?" Ormek asked clenching his fists.

"Aren't you a little young for that?" Talrid asked.

"No sir, I am ready to fight for my people at any age," Ormek said bravely.

"You've got guts kid," said Talrid, "I like that. Tell me, what is your name?"

"Ormek sir," replied the boy.

"How old are you?" asked Talrid.

"Twelve sir," young Ormek answered.

"Tell, you what Ormek," Talrid said, "usually we don't let our boys start training till they're at least fourteen, but I can tell you have the spirit of a warrior in you. We will start you training today, and I will be you teacher.

Ormek grinned and at that moment he resolved he would be the greatest warrior of all the Tyfirian forces. He vowed to liberate all the slaves of Cyntir and help them create their own nation. But above all, he resolved he would avenge his grandfather's death and make Cyntir pay for what they did to his people.


	2. Chapter Two: Pirates of the Karab

**Chapter Two: Pirates of the Karab**

Link looked out over the vast ocean. He could see nothing but water for miles in any direction. Looking at the scenery was the only thing that kept Link from dying of boredom on his many travels throughout the world. Unfortunately, looking at plain water gets old fast.

Link wore a light long sleeved green coat with a pair of green pants as well as a long cap of the same color to cover is golden hair. Underneath his tunic, Link wore a shirt of chain mail; underneath the steel rings he wore a white shirt. On his back, Link carried a Hylian shield along with his trusty sword that he had owned since he was sixteen. He also wore a pair of brown leather boots that rose almost to his knees and also a pair of brown leather gauntlets. Link was a handsome man, but he never cared much about his looks, he was first and foremost a warrior and everything about him seemed to testify of that.

Link no longer had a real home. He had not had one since he left the Kokiri Forest at the age of ten in order to follow his destiny as the Hero of Time. Soon after he left, Link found himself on a quest to save his homeland, Hyrule, from the clutches of the evil Ganondorf, the Gerudo king of thieves. In an attempt to prevent Ganondorf from obtaining the sacred Triforce he went after the golden triangles himself, but fell into a deep slumber that lasted for seven years. When he awoke he discovered that he led Ganondorf right to the Triforce and that the king of thieves had conquered Hyrule as well as many other lands by using its power. Link felt responsible for what happened so he embarked on a quest to save Hyrule. Link eventually learned that Ganondorf only captured one part of the Triforce, the Triforce of Power, and that it was himself, Link, who held the Triforce of Courage. Using the power of his Triforce piece along with some help from the princess of Hyrule, Zelda, and the sages he had awoken in order to defeat the Gerudo king, Link managed to seal Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm. After he defeated Ganondorf he traveled seven years into the past, back to his original time. Things were never the same for Link after that. He had fully matured as an adult, but he was still technically only ten years of age. However, it was not this that bothered him; it was the fact that it was his fault Hyrule had been plunged into the darkness. He always blamed himself for what had happened. After all he was the one who led Ganondorf to the Sacred Realm.

Another thing that troubled Link was that he remembered the alternate history of Hyrule in away only one other person in the world did. Most people thought Link's adventure to be a mere legend and those that did believe never fully comprehended what Ganondorf did to the world using the Triforce of Power, not even the king of Hyrule understood Link's tale completely.

Other than those who held a piece of the Triforce and the sages who had imprisoned Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, no one remembered Hyrule's alternate history. Still, those who did remember it only remembered it as if it was a dream and it did not seem entirely real to them. It did not seem wholly real even to the princess Zelda, who held the Triforce of Wisdom. Link on the other hand remembered it perfectly, for he had actually experienced both the alternate future and the real one. Both histories were a part of his life. This caused Link to have trouble relating to others. He always felt he was an outcast, no matter where he was or whom he was with. Deep in his mind he always knew he had seen and done things no one would ever understand. Link was constantly haunted by the memories of the alternate future, but there was no one he could talk to who could understand his waking nightmare, save one little fairy.

Eventually Link could no longer stand being around others. He could feel alone in a room full of people. It always seemed to him that he was different and everyone else knew it. He longed for someone who could comprehend his journey through time the way he did, so he left Hyrule and went in search of the only other being in the world that had been with him through the entire ordeal. It was his guardian fairy, Navi, who he sought. She had been with him during his entire quest to save Hyrule, but she left when his mission was complete. Unfortunately during his search for Navi, a masked Skull Kid stole his horse, Epona, and led Link to a parallel dimension and a land called Termina. As Link soon found out a suicidal moon was threatening to collide with Termina and destroy the entire world and it was the Skull Kid who was using the power of Majora's Mask to bring the moon down (or rather the Mask was using the Skull Kid). Unwilling to let all the innocent people around him die, Link set out on another quest to stop the reckless moon and defeat the evil spirit trapped within Majora's Mask.

Link was successful in his efforts to stop the moon, but when Link returned to his own world he felt that he was an even greater outcast than before. Not even the Terminians could comprehend what Link had done. In order to stop the moon from colliding with the Earth, Link had been forced to relive the same three days over and over again. Everyone else feared the moon would fall for only a few days and it seemed it had stopped just before it struck the Earth, but Link knew about the impending end of the world for about a month as he desperately tried to change Termina's fate. He watched the moon day after day as it crept closer to the Earth. He witnessed the end of the world over and over again and every time Link failed to stop the moon, the importance of his quest grew heavier in his mind. When Link finally left Termina he knew he would never be able to function as a normal person. The plaguing memories of his quests would haunt him forever.

Link never returned to Hyrule, and he had no intention of doing so either. Link wandered in the wild for many years, taking no permanent residence. Once Link turned sixteen he joined a band of mercenaries. He quickly rose to a position of high esteem among the legionaries. Link was eventually given the job of employment scout. It was his duty to travel the world in search of work for his companions.

Link was currently twenty years of age, meaning it had now been ten years since Link first left the confines of the Kokiri Forest. He now only had one friend left from his childhood, Epona. Still Link did not get to spend very much time with her when he was searching for employment for his clan. Epona did not like being stuck in the stables of a rocking ship. Whenever she found herself in such a situation, she became very unruly and even Link had a difficult time getting her to calm down again. Thus Link left Epona at the mercenary headquarters in the west until someone hired him. He then sent for Epona and the amount of troops his employer ordered. Because Link was on a scouting mission at the time, Epona was not on the ship with her owner. Now, Link was on his way to Nicrosia, to offer the services of his band of mercenaries. Tensions were rising in the nations to the north of Nicrosia and Link thought the Nicrosians may feel the need to build up their forces in case war broke out.

Nicrosia often traded with Cyntir, its nearest northern neighbor. Two wide bodies of water separated the two lands. At points, the Sea of Gidd and the Karab Sea separated the two landmasses by more than four hundred miles. The closest point between the two was at the strait of Cyntir, where the two countries were just over a mile apart. This made trade easy, between Cyntir and Nicrosia.

The strait was also used by the two nations to make vast amounts of money. Both countries forced ships passing through the strait to pay a heavy toll. Most ships paid the toll, for there was no other way to pass from the sea of Gidd to the Karab Sea, or vice-versa without losing months traveling the long way around Nicrosia. Access to the channel was crucial too many other nations because of the many wealthy countries that were located on the east side of the Sea of Gidd as well as on the west side of the Karab Sea (One of these countries was Hyrule). This allowed Cyntir and Nicrosia to make a large profit from the strait.

On his many journeys, Link often traveled with a fellow mercenary named Calrith. Calrith was forty-five years old and one of the most experienced mercenaries in the clan, he was regarded by many of the legionnaires as the wisest of the mercenaries, he was also an excellent employment scout. Between Calrith and Link, the two were able to find more work for the mercenaries than any other scouting team.

"Link," Calrith said sternly, "Why are you wasting time staring at the ocean?"

"What else is there to do on this ship?" Link retorted with out taking his eyes from the sea.

"You could always be studying," Calrith answered.

Link turned back to Calrith and questioned him, "What is there to study on this vessel of infinite boredom?"

"Anything you want," Calrith said, "You could always study the structure of the ship or how the sailors do their jobs. Perhaps you could find out what the cook puts in the food."

Link turned and gave Calrith a look of disgust and said, "I think it would be better if that were to remain secret. Besides, what am I supposed to use that worthless information for?"

"What may seem useless now may prove be a valuable asset later." Calrith said, "Like I always say, never waste a chance to learn something new. Knowledge is one of the most valuable things you can have. For example, in a battle of skilled warriors, the warrior with the lesser skill may emerge victorious, if he knows how his adversary fights or his opponent's weaknesses. You of all people should understand that Link. Many of our most powerful enemies you've faced while working for the Calrigan mercenaries, you defeated simply because you knew their weaknesses and were able to exploit them.

"If you do not wish to explore the ship take this book on the history of Nicrosia. Knowing the history and culture of Nicrosia may help us find work for our friends. " Calrith handed over a book, which he had brought to read on the long voyage.

Link took the book and muttered to himself, "What friends?" he then retired to his quarters for the night to study.

Link walked to his room rather slowly. He was not very excited to read the book Calrith gave him. He had already been briefed on the history of Nicrosia and did not care to read about it again. As soon as Link opened the door to his room he plopped down on his bed. He began reading the book, but soon found that his eyelids were growing heavy. Link slowly drifted of into a deep sleep.

* * *

"How much longer, until we reach Nicrosia?" Calrith asked of the ship's captain.

"Oh, I figure, some time tomorrow or the day after at the latest," the captain answered.

"Excellent," Calrith said, "I'm anxious to begin negotiating with Nicrosia. With tension once again rising in the north, Nicrosia may be growing nervous and in all likelihood will feel a need for my clan's services." Calrith then let out a big yawn and said, "Well, I better get off to bed now." With that Calrith left the captain's cabin and set off for his own.

As he walked across the main deck, Calrith heard a soft metallic noise. He turned his head to the left and spotted some sort of grappling hook, latched on to the ship's railing. Another hook soon attached itself, then another and another. Soon there were more than twenty. Then he saw them. One by one, pirates dressed in blue started hopping over the rails, all their faces covered by grey cloth masks.

Calrith ducked behind a crate to hide himself. One of the men, a Zora, who was apparently the leader, stepped in front and said, "Okay men, you know the drill, get all the valuable cargo you can, then burn the ship."

"Oh no," Calrith mumbled to himself, "I've got to find Link!" Calrith drew his sword and took off to Link's room. Unfortunately, the Zora spotted Calrith as he started running and went after him. Calrith tried to lose the Zora as best he could, by knocking things over as he ran, to make the Zora slow down, but to no avail. Calrith made it all the way to Link's door, but as he started to open it, the Zora grabbed the knob and pulled the door shut.

"Very well," said Calrith pointing his sword towards the Zora and lunging at him, "we'll do this the hard way."

Link awoke to the sound of his door slamming. "Calrith?" Link said still half asleep. He got up slowly and sluggishly opened the door. To his shock, he found Calrith lying dead on the floor. He was covered in blood and part his small intestine was hanging out of his abdomen, "No," Link gasped. Just then he caught a glimpse of a Zora fleeing up the stairs. Link drew his sword in anger and took off after him. 

When Link got up to the main deck he saw the mast of the ship engulfed by flame. He also saw many men dressed in blue and grey diving off the ship and into the ocean. Link ran to the edge of the boat to see where the men were headed. He saw them all swimming towards a small group of lifeboats, loaded with the recently raided ship's cargo.

Link did not know whether he should chase after the men in blue and grey or try to save the people still on board the ship. Link ended up having to make his decision in haste, for just then the base the mast buckled and the pole fell over. Link was forced to jump off the edge of the ship and into the water to avoid getting hit.

Link swam back up to the surface and found a wooden plank floating on the water. He grabbed on to it and began looking around for the men in blue and grey, but they were nowhere to be seen. The last thing Link remembered seeing that night was the ship sinking while still aflame.

* * *

Link awoke on a beach that he did not recognize. It took him a few seconds to recall the events of the previous night. He was full of confusion and despair. Calrith was dead, his ship was destroyed, and he was stranded in a land he had never seen before. Link wasn't sure what to do in his current state; eventually he began thinking clearly again. Then a thought occurred to him. Could he possibly be in Nicrosia? Or had he landed on some uninhabited island? Link decided to find out if there were other people around. He started off heading away from the sea. Link watched the landscape as the sandy beaches slowly transformed to grassy plains.

A few hours after he entered the plains he came across two men dressed in blue and grey, mounted on horses. They were obviously part of the group of pirates that raided Link's ship. They were looking down at another young man, who was dressed in plain farming clothes. Upon seeing this Link began running towards them.

"Give it to us!" demanded one of the men on the horses.

"I don't have it," the young man replied.

"Don't give us that, we know you have it," the other man commented, "Our commander told us you have it."

"Well, your commander is mistaken," The young man said boldly.

"Wrong?" both the men in blue laughed, "General Ormek is never wrong. But, if you refuse to give it to us, we'll just have to take it."

The two men in blue drew their swords, as did the young man. The young man fought his best, but he could not defeat two men on horses. His sword was quickly knocked away and then he fell on his back. One of the men in blue and grey jumped off his horse, stood over the young man and raised his sword up over his head with the tip pointed towards the young man. A large grin came over the man's face, but it swiftly turned to a look of to of pain. He dropped his sword and suddenly fell over. The young man scrambled to his feet and noticed an arrow sticking out of his foe's back.

The young man got up turned his head to find Link with bow in hand and an outstretched arm. Link reached for another arrow to take care of the other man in blue, but he was already riding away. Link ran over to the young man to offer his assistance. "Are you injured?" Link instinctively asked.

"I don't think so, hey thanks!" The young man answered.

"No problem," Link said calmly.

"You really saved my neck there," the young man said.

"Think nothing of it." Link said, trying not to make a big deal of his own heroism. He had never liked drawing attention to himself. That was one of the reasons Link never went back to Hyrule, he was too well known there. One of the main reasons Link had left Hyrule in the first place was to find anonymity, he was know by few people outside of Hyrule. However, Link had many other reasons for keeping away from his childhood home, though he never told anyone what they were.

"I owe you everything, and I don't even know your name?" the young man continued.

"It is Link," answered the hero.

"Nice to meet ya, Link. You can call me Chiron," the young man said.

"I'm glad I found you, Chiron," Link said, "For a while, I was beginning to think this place was uninhabited. Which reminds me, where am I?"

"You my friend are in the great land of Cyntir," Chiron said.

."Well, that's not to far from my intended destination," Link stated.

"And where's that?" asked Chiron.

"Nicrosia," Link answered.

"If you go to South Port Town, you could catch a transport and be there in minutes," Chiron said, "I'm headed to South Port Town tomorrow morning. If you're interested, you could come and stay at my ranch tonight and I'll take you there tomorrow." Link agreed to go with Chiron. "Great," said Chiron, "Let's get going. My ranch isn't far from here. We can be there in half an hour. With that Link continued on with his new companion. He was extremely relieved at this point. He would be able to notify his fellow mercenaries of what happened to his ship in no time.


	3. Chapter Three: General Ormek

**Chapter Three: General Ormek**

King Talrid shifted uneasily on his throne while waiting for the arrival of his chief general with his report. It had now been fourteen years since the Tyfirians had begun their campaign for freedom. Back then Talrid had been the leader of a small group of liberated slaves. Now he was king of an entire nation made up of the former slaves.

The general which Talrid was waiting for was none other than Ormek, the young boy he found wandering in the desert towards the beginning of the war. From the time Ormek joined the Tyfirian army at the age of twelve, he demonstrated a remarkable skill for commanding troops in battle. He was accredited with coming up with some of the Tyfirian's most effective battle strategies. He was also responsible for many of the war's key victories towards its conclusion, even at times when the Cyntirians horrendously outnumbered the Tyfirians. With these skills already mastered at such a young age, Ormek had no problem becoming the highest-ranking military official in Tyfiria. The thing that was truly amazing though, is that this boy had reached this rank at the age of twenty-three. Talrid took a lot of grief for putting someone so young, in charge of the all the armed forces of Tyfiria. Many of the simple soldiers were older than Ormek was. Still, Ormek put to rest any qualms about his ability to command the army. Two months after being appointed to his new position, Talrid was able to declare to the Tyfirian people, that all the slaves in Cyntir had been released and the Tyfirians had been granted the entire northern half of Cyntir, to make their own country, all because of Ormek's ingenious strategies.

Three years had gone by since the end of the war, which brought the Tyfirians out of bondage. However, peace did not last long. Another war between the Cyntirians and Tyfirians erupted, just under a year after the previous one had concluded.

King Talrid was almost ready to go in search of Ormek himself, when the general walked in followed by his fairy companion Shriek. Ormek was dressed primarily in blue. His sleeves were a tattered grey and his boots and gauntlets were made of grey leather, which was standard uniform for all Tyfirian military personnel. Ormek also wore steel shoulder plates engraved with ancient Hylian text to indicate his rank. On his back, Ormek carried two swords of strange workmanship. They were ancient blades that Ormek took from a Cyntirian sorcerer after he defeated the magician.

Ormek had changed much since he escaped from the Cyntirians; he had grown considerably and was among the tallest Hylians in Tyfiria. Ormek looked a bit lanky compared to a few other soldiers, but he was deceptively strong. He was a man of plain face, he was not particularly handsome, but he was by no means hideous. His most noticeable feature remained his unusually short ears.

"General Ormek," Talrid said with a disgruntled voice as soon as his general entered the room, "I'm anxious to hear your report on our current situation with Cyntir."

"Our invasion is on schedule," Ormek began.

"Oh really?" the king interrupted, "My advisors inform me that our troops have been blindly running around Cyntir, terrorizing random peasants. That's hardly worth our time, don't you think, general?"

"I assure you, your highness" Ormek rebutted, "these so called 'random' attacks are actually strategic strikes, which are slowly causing the Cyntirians to lose control of the area in conflict. With our troops scattered the Cyntirians are having a difficult time defending all of our targets."

"That may be," Talrid said, "but this war is taking to long. We need that port as soon as possible. Our people won't last much longer without the resources coming in from the strait. We need more supplies than your troops are stealing for us…. I've made a command decision; we're going to pull our troops in desert out."

"What, but you can't. I…" Ormek pleaded.

"We aren't gaining any ground by holding our troops up so far north, dozens of miles away from the nearest settlement," Talrid continued. "You could easily move your troops southwest, out of the desert and into the Antarian plains."

"That would be a huge mistake!" Ormek burst out, "I promise you, your majesty; I will have gained significant ground by the end of the month. From my current position, that is. It will take four times as long to gain ground from the southwest. You see, out in the Antarian plains, we are vulnerable to attack. It would be too easy for the Cyntirians to march their troops over there and wipe us out. We have no natural barriers there. Up north, in the desert, we remain untouchable. The desert is far too vast for the Cyntirians to find our bases."

"However, stationing our troops in the desert makes it difficult to keep them alive. We have too ship in all their food and water," Talrid interjected.

"It will be ten times as difficult, to survive while under the constant attack of our enemies!" Ormek roared. The general stood in silence for awhile after the outburst trying to get control of his anger. "Talrid," he continued, "you must trust my judgment. After all, I was the one who was responsible all those crucial victories during the last war. Didn't my strategies seem odd then? Yet, did they not always work flawlessly? Trust me. I know what I am doing."

Talrid sighed and said, "Very well, my friend. I will allow the troops to remain in the desert for one more month. If your troops fail to make any significant progress by then…."

"I understand," Ormek replied, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must prepare myself for my trip to join the ranks."

Talrid nodded his head and said, "You may take your leave." Ormek turned and headed out of the room. As he left, he struggled to suppress a grin of triumph.

As soon as the guards could no longer hear Ormek's footsteps, Shriek began to speak, "Wow, you've got that guy eating out of the palm of your hand. I can't believe he bought that bull about trusting your judgment. If only he knew what you are really planning."

"Shriek! Silence!" Ormek hollered, startling the fairy.

"What?" Shriek said in confusion. "No one is around to hear us." Ormek gave Shriek a scowl upon hearing this.

"Even the walls have ears," he said, "never forget that."

"Yeah, yeah," Shriek mumbled.

"Now go fetch Syrus for me." Ormek ordered.

"Yes sir," Shriek replied and flew off down the hall.

Ormek walked over to a near by window and scanned the rocky terrain. He pulled out a piece of paper from his gauntlet and began to carefully unfold it. He studied the ancient symbols written on the paper thoughtfully and began to chuckle. "Soon," He thought to himself, "soon all those barbaric Cyntirians will pay for what they did to my people. They'll pay for what they did to my grandfather. Yes, soon the Cyntirians will know what it's like to be the scum of the earth. They'll never harm my people again." After thinking about his vengeance a bit longer, Ormek folded the paper again, and replaced it in his gauntlet.

Ormek left the window and headed for his quarters. Once he entered his chamber, he shut and locked the door. He pulled a book of his bookshelf and began flipping through the pages. Once he found the page he wanted he reached up and pulled down a candlestick, which was mounted on the wall. His bookcase slid to the left, revealing a hidden staircase. Ormek began descending the stairs without ever looking up from the book. Once he had gone down seven eighths of the stairs, Ormek stopped and shut the book. He pushed on the wall to his right. It gave way and revealed another secret passage.

Ormek walked down the passage till he came to a locked door. He unhooked a key from his belt and unlocked it and continued on through. Ormek continued down a few more flights of stairs, till he came to a small room with a long table surrounded by several chairs. Sitting in one of the chairs was a large man, with Shriek floating above his head. Once Ormek arrived, Shriek flew over to him and rested on his shoulder. The man stood up upon Ormek's arrival. This man was one of the largest in Tyfiria. He towered over nearly everyone, including General Ormek, whose height was also imposing. His build was quite impressive as well. He was not as strong as he looked, but he still had more muscle than most. His blonde hair was long and pulled back in a ponytail, which was odd, for Ormek ordered most of the military to have short hair. Even Ormek kept his hair fairly short, but in this man's case, he made an exception. He was also dressed in the standard Tyfirian blue and grey, with the deviation of two silver armbands engraved with many symbols, which he wore to indicate his rank.

"Colonel Syrus," Ormek belted as soon as he arrived, "Do your men have it yet?"

"We are very close to retrieving it, sir," Syrus replied.

"How close?" Ormek asked anxiously.

"We've already located the orb and have sent our men to capture it. It may already be in our possession."

"We better have it," Ormek snapped, "otherwise this operation may be dead. The king appears to be losing faith. We must accelerate our plans. Syrus, ride out to camp three. Make sure they have the orb; and if they do not have it, get it. I'll come out to meet you after I have given my orders to General Reock. Also, I want you to dispatch scouts to search this area." Ormek ripped out the page in the book he had been looking at and handed it to Syrus. "Have them search every area with in a twenty-five mile radius. When they locate the temple, they need to notify us immediately. Am I clear?"

Colonel Syrus saluted Ormek and said, "Yes sir, we'll have your missing temple found with in the week."

Ormek and Shriek began to leave, but Ormek stopped to say one last thing to Syrus, "This mission is of the highest priority. If you fail me… well, let's just say your neck won't have to hold up so much weight any longer." Syrus was not frightened by Ormek's threat; in fact he laughed at the notion. He knew Ormek was not serious. He knew it was simply Ormek's method of motivating his troops.

"I understand," Syrus said coldly. Ormek left through the same door he came in. Syrus exited through another door and headed straight for the castle stables to ready his horse for the trip south. "It's a good thing this mission is so simple," Syrus said to himself as he rode of on his horse, "otherwise, I might actually be worried."

An hour after Syrus left, Ormek came to the stables to saddle his steed. "It's only a matter of time till we have all the power we need to conquer all of Cyntir," He said to Shriek as he mounted his horse. Ormek kicked the horse's side and rode off to meet his troops, knowing his revenge would soon be complete.


	4. Chapter Four: The Blue Orb

**Chapter Four: The Blue Orb**

"You're from Hyrule aren't you?" Chiron asked, looking at Link's shield, which bore the symbol of Hyrule's royal family. Link looked at his shield and nodded. Despite the fact that Link had not been back to Hyrule in nearly ten years, he still used a Hylian shield to remind him of the land he gave so much up for.

"So, what is it that you do on your ranch, Chiron?" Link asked when the ranch first came into view.

"We raise animals for food, such as cows, pigs, and cuccos." Chiron replied.

"Hmm, that place must reek," Link jested.

"It does," Chiron admitted, "but you get used to it after a while. Too bad you won't be there long enough to adjust." Link gave Chiron a weird look. Once Chiron saw it, he could not help laughing. "Don't worry," Chiron said, "it's not that bad."

The ranch was enormous. Most of the ranch consisted of large field, with many barns scattered through out it. A tall wooden fence, meant to keep the animals in, surrounded the field. Close to the southern most gate, through which Chiron and Link entered, was large house.

"By Nayru!" exclaimed Link upon seeing the building. "That house is almost as big as Hyrule Castle!" Chiron could only laugh at this, for he knew Link was joking.

"We need the large house for all my siblings." Chiron explained.

"You must have ten kids in your family," Link said.

"Actually there're twelve, including me."

"I bet you feel cramped in there," said Link."

"Sometimes," Chiron replied, "What about you? Do you have many siblings?"

Link shook his head and said, "No, I was an only child. You see, my parents died when I was very young." Chiron grew silent. He feared that he had hit a sore spot, with Link.

After a short period of awkward silence, the two arrived at the front door of the house. Chiron opened the door and motioned for Link to come inside. Once inside, Chiron walked to the other side of the room and sat in a wooden chair. Link followed him and took the seat next to his new acquaintance.

"By the way," Chiron said in an attempt to break the silence, "thanks again for saving my butt back there. I owe you big time."

"No problem," Link replied, "Helping people is what I do. Which reminds me, I forgot to ask what those men wanted with you?"

"They were after this," Chiron said, as he pulled a blue glass sphere, which was about as large as a doorknob, from his satchel. "I was out there trying to bury the thing when those guys got the jump on me."

"What is so special about that orb?" Link inquired.

"I don't know," Chiron answered. "It's just a worthless family heirloom as far as I know, but it's not the first time those Tyfirians tried to take it. I decided to get rid of it, cause I figure if Ormek wants it so much, I'm sure as heck am not going to be the one who gives it to him."

"Ormek, who is that?" Link asked.

"General Ormek is the commander-in-chief of the entire Tyfirian army and navy. Those men, who attacked me, were from the Tyfirian army, under Ormek's own orders."

"Tyfiria, is that not that the country that borders Cyntir to the north?" Link asked. Chiron nodded in the affirmative. "That means, my ship wasn't attacked by pirates at all," Link continued, "My ship was attacked by the Tyfirian navy. The question is why."

"I can answer that," Chiron offered, "Cyntir and Tyfiria are currently at war. The Tyfirians have been trying to take out our resources, so we can't support ourselves. By attacking ships in the Sea of Gidd and the Karab Sea, they're discouraging ships from going through the strait of Cyntir. The tolls we collect from ships passing through that strait are extremely important to the Cyntirian economy."

"Just one more question," Link interrupted, "Why are Cyntir and Tyfiria at war in the first place?"

"It's rather complicated," Chiron started, "You see, the Tyfirians used to be our slaves up until about fourteen years ago, when some freed slaves led a campaign for the slaves' freedom. After ten years of fighting, Cyntir finally gave in and released every last slave. The Tyfirians were given the northland to make their own country. There was then peace between the two nations for about a year, and then war broke out again. The Tyfirians decided the land we gave to them was insufficient to meet the needs of their growing population. I guess I can see where the Tyfirians were coming from. After all, the northland is very mountainous and arid. There isn't much land suitable for growing crops up there. When the Tyfirians came to us with their dilemma, the Cyntirian king graciously offered them a large strip of land in the east. The strip contained quite a bit of fertile soil, plus it connected to the Karab Sea, which would allow the Tyfirians to begin trade with other countries. This would have been very beneficial for the Tyfirians, for there are a lot of valuable minerals in Tyfiria. In fact, Tyfiria has one of the largest iron mines in the world. Still, General Ormek convinced the Tyfirian King to settle for nothing less than South Port Town, which is the port we use to monitor the strait of Cyntir. But we could not afford to give up the strait. It's the backbone for our entire economy. So, two years ago, the Tyfirians launched a campaign to acquire a three hundred by one hundred fifty-mile strip of land, which contained South Port Town. The thing I don't understand is why the Tyfirians are attacking from directly north of South Port Town. North of the town is just a desert. It's just worthless land."

"This General Ormek seems to put a lot effort into acquiring seemingly worthless things doesn't he?" Link commented eyeing the blue orb, "Which in my experience, usually means there is something here we can not see."

"My thoughts exactly," Chiron continued, "That's why I think Ormek is planning to take over all of Cyntir. Although the Tyfirian king swears he won't let Ormek do that."

"Does Cyntir have any allies to help?" Link inquired.

"No," Chiron answered, "Any potential allies are too scared to get involved. They think if the help us, they'll come off as pro-slavery. In any case, I don't think Cyntir wants to drag other countries into the war." Chiron then sighed and stretched out his arms. "That's enough politics for today. You've had a long day, Link. Why don't I show you to the guest room, so you can rest a bit?"

Chiron took Link up to the second floor and led him to small room. Inside the room, there was a single cot set up. Chiron allowed Link to enter the room, he then shut the door behind his acquaintance and left. Link walked over to the cot and fell over into it. He fell asleep almost instantly.

A gentle knocking at the door awoke Link several hours later. Link got up and opened the door to find a young girl, no older than nine, looking up at him. "Chiron sent me to fetch you for supper," the little girl said shyly. The girl then took Link by the hand and led him to the dinning room. All of Chiron's family was in the dinning room and seated at the table. The table was long, surrounded by fifteen chairs. Chiron's father sat at the front of the table and Chiron's mother sat at the foot. There were only two empty seats around the table. The little girl who had retrieved Link filled one of them. The last remaining seat was next to Chiron's father and across from Chiron. Link took the last remaining free seat and was delighted to find a full plate in front of him.

"So, Chiron tells me you're from Hyrule." Chiron's father said trying to start a conversation.

"That's correct," Link replied.

"What are you doing so far away from home?" Chiron's father asked.

"I would not exactly call Hyrule my home. You see I have not been back there in many years. I have spent the last few years of my life with a band of mercenaries." Upon hearing that Link was a mercenary, Chiron's father gave him a somewhat frightened look. "Do not get the wrong idea," Link said, "My clan does not work for just anybody. We only fight for causes we believe in. I have heard the plight of Cyntir and I can assure you my companions will not be working for Tyfiria any time soon. Actually those Tyfirians are why I am here. I was on my way to Nicrosia in search of work for my associates when my ship was destroyed by Tyfirians."

"Those blasted Tyfirians have to ruin everything don't they?" Chiron's father blurted out, pounding his fist on the table. He quickly calmed himself again and continued to question Link. "Were you sent on this mission alone?" He asked. Link did not answer. Thoughts of Calrith and the Zora who murdered him came back, flooding his mind with thoughts of revenge. Despite his desire to bring Calrith's killer to justice, Link knew he would probably never see that Zora again. This filled Link with even more rage. Link was about ready to go into a rampage until he remembered something Calrith taught him once.

"Anger can be one's greatest weakness," Calrith had told Link long ago, "Anger impairs judgment and clouds one's thoughts." Link was often counseled by Calrith to control his anger, mainly because ever since Link left Hyrule, he had developed somewhat of a short fuse. By remembering Calrith's instruction Link was calmed, but he still did not speak for the rest of the meal. Not that he needed to, seeing that his question upset Link, Chiron's father ceased with his inquiry.

* * *

"Captain Lucrus," a Tyfirian soldier said to his commanding officer just outside the ranch, "all of our troops are in position. We will attack the ranch on your command."

"Good work, lieutenant," Lucrus said, "Remember, don't burn the ranch till we have the orb." The lieutenant nodded and made a motion with his hand to his troops, signaling them to move in on the ranch. There were around twenty men under Lucrus's command. They were all dressed in the standard blue and grey uniform of the Tyfirians, but they were not wearing much if any armor and the only weapons they carried were light-weight swords and shields. Many men were also carrying torches. However they still would have been considered terribly under equipped had they been preparing for a real battle. The Tyfirians were not worried though, they did not think the ranchers would pose much of a challenge and were quite confident they would be victorious.

* * *

Link's meal was disturbed by the ranch animals all acting up at once, as if a predator was on the loose. "Why are those animals getting upset all of a sudden?" Chiron's mother asked.

"They've probably spotted a pack of wolfos," Chiron's father answered. He got up from his seat and got his bow and a quiver of arrows, which were leaning against the door. Chiron's father opened the door and was immediately grabbed by his shirt and pulled out of the house.

"Dad!" Chiron cried out.

Three men in blue then charged in with their swords drawn. "Chiron, go get my equipment quick!" Link commanded. Chiron dashed for the stairs. One of the men in blue tried to follow him, but Link stepped in his way and grabbed him by the wrist. Link twisted the man's arm, till he began howling in pain and dropped his sword. Link then elbowed the Tyfirian in the face, knocking him back towards his companions.

Link picked up the Tyfirian's sword and turned to Chiron's family ordering them to get out of the house if they could. While Link was turned, one of the Tyfirians charged Link holding his sword above his head. Link heard him coming and slashed the man in blue and grey across the stomach. The Tyfirian stumbled back and fell on top of the other Tyfirian already on the ground. The last soldier stood back, not sure whether he should attack or not. Eventually he began to circle around Link with his sword and shield both raised. They both circled each other until the Tyfirian's back was facing the stairs and Link's back was facing Chiron's family. The man in blue and grey started his attack with three quick slashes with his sword. All three volleys were blocked by Link's sword. Link then attacked himself, but his attack was blocked by the Tyfirian's shield.

The Tyfirian was unable to get another attack off, for a soon as he tried, Chiron returned with Link's equipment. He jumped down from the top of the stairs and knocked over the Tyfirian. He tried to get back on his feet, but as he was getting up, Link knocked the sword out of the man in blue's hand. Link then brought his leg around and swept the Tyfirian's feet out from under him.

Link dropped the Tyfirian sword he was holding and picked up his own sword and shield, both of which had been dropped by Chiron when he tackled the Tyfirian. Chiron handed Link the rest of his gear and then armed himself with the fallen Tyfirians' weaponry, as did one of Chiron's brothers.

"Stay here and protect your family," Link said to Chiron in a very authoritative voice, "I'll go find your father."

Link bolted out the door and began searching for Chiron's father. It did not take Link long to find him, Chiron's father was only a few dozen feet away from the house. Link ran over to his host and knelt down beside him. "Are you wounded?" Link asked once that he saw that the man was conscious.

"I think my leg is broken, but other than that, I'm okay," Chiron's father answered.

Link began looking around and saw many more Tyfirian soldiers running around the fields of the ranch. Many of the soldiers were making off with livestock and other supplies. Upon seeing this, Link ran after some of the Tyfirian soldiers, in an attempt to stop them from getting more of the livestock.

Chiron was shaking with fear; his eyes were dead set on the Tyfirians lying on the floor. If any of the Tyfirians woke up, Chiron would be ready. Little did Chiron realize though, one of the soldiers was already waking up. This particular Tyfirian was wise enough not to make any quick movements. Instead, he slowly reached for a sword lying nearby. Once the soldier had a firm grip on his sword he sprang to his feet and charged Chiron. Chiron's mother let out a scream. Chiron was able to get his shield up before the Tyfirian swung; however Chiron was not ready for the impact. The blow caused him to fall on his back. The blue orb then popped out of the satchel Chiron kept it in.

The orb rolled over to the Tyfirian who snatched it up off the ground once he realized what it was. A large smile came over the Tyfirian as he darted out the door. "Captain," the soldier cried out at the top of his lungs, "I have it, I have the orb!" Captain Lucrus made a motion with his hands to some of his soldiers. The Tyfirians began setting the barns, fences, and even the grass on fire. "Let's get out of here," Lucrus ordered to his troops. Despite this order, Lucrus remained stationary. Lucrus did not move until the soldier with the orb tossed the blue glass sphere to him. With the prize now secure, Lucrus rode off after his men.

Chiron and his family had already vacated their house and gathered around the family patriarch when Link returned, after he was unable to stop the cattle-snatchers. Luckily a heavy rain had begun to fall, putting out the flames that were consuming the ranch.

Chiron stood away from the rest of his family, still holding the Tyfirian sword. "I'll get those monsters," Chiron mumbled to himself. Link walked up behind Chiron and put his hand on Chiron's shoulder.

"Don't worry," Link said calmly, "It will be okay."

"How is it going to be okay?" Chiron yelled.

"The damage done by the fire wasn't to serious and no one in your family was hurt too badly," Link said with a soothing voice. Chiron nodded his head, but remained silent. "Do not worry" Link continued. "I'll get your cattle back for you."

"Thanks," said Chiron still trying to calm down, "but don't think you're going after those murderous Tyfirians alone, I'm coming with you."

"I'll go see if there are any horses left," Chiron's mother said as she ran off to the stables.

"I'm coming too," said Chiron's father.

"Oh no you're not," said Chiron's mother as she rushed off, "not in your condition."

She returned with two horses already saddled and a sword and shield. She gave the weapons to Chiron and told him they once belonged to his great grandfather. Link mounted a dark brown horse, and Chiron mounted a light brown horse. "Chiron," Chiron's father started, but fell silent for a while, "make me proud," he finally said.

"I will," Chiron replied.

"Do not fear," Link said to Chiron's family, "I will bring Chiron back safely," Link wiped the rain off his brow and nodded to Chiron. Once Chiron nodded back, Link kicked his horse's side and dashed of into the night. Chiron lingered a second longer, getting one last glance of his family before he sped off after Link.

"Good luck!" Chiron's mother cried out as her son's horse disappeared into stormy night.


	5. Chapter Five: Hot on the Trail

**Chapter Five: Hot on the Trail**

Captain Lucrus's horse sped as fast as it was able, but its top speed was not enough for its rider. The Tyfirian's brown hair blew in the wind as he sped towards his base. Lucrus could now see the light of a fire burning, coming from his camp. It had had been four days since he sacked the Cyntirian ranch and he was only returning just now. "Promotion City, here I come," Lucrus said to himself as he pulled on the reigns of his horse causing it to slow to a light trot.

As he rode into camp, a boy greeted Lucrus and took the reigns of the horse. Lucrus dismounted and the boy took the horse away. Lucrus could not stop smiling. He was simply overjoyed with how well the operation went. It could not have gone better. They successfully stole much of the ranch's best cattle, they nearly burnt the ranch to the ground, and most importantly they obtained the blue orb. All this with only a single casualty, accounts of other soldiers told Lucrus that some warrior in a green garb had killed the Tyfirian.

Lucrus took the orb from his satchel and studied is closely as he walked towards his commanding officer's tent. Lucrus began to ponder about the strange glass sphere. He wondered why General Ormek wanted the little trinket so desperately. Lucrus did not know the answer, no one did, but he did know the orb must be of great worth considering the long months spent of tirelessly searching for thing. Whatever the reason, Lucrus knew he could expect some sort of a reward.

At last Lucrus reached the tent of his commanding officer, Colonel Syrus. Syrus was waiting by the door to his tent. "Well, did everything go according to plan?" he asked. Lucrus simply smiled and held the orb in front of Syrus. "Good work," commented Syrus, "let's have it then." Syrus reached for the orb, but Lucrus jerked his hand back.

"I don't think so," said Lucrus, "not until I get my reward."

Syrus gave Lucrus an angry look and said, "General Ormek is the one who wants that worthless bauble, not me." Syrus then cracked a smile and let out a soft laugh. "Though, you may hold on to the orb till he arrives, if you wish. You could demand your reward then. I'm sure the General wouldn't be too irritated by your disobedience, if you catch him in a good mood that is. Assuming he still has good moods." Lucrus scowled at Syrus. He looked at the orb with discontent for awhile before he tossed it to Syrus.

"Don't worry Captain," Syrus said as he caught the small sphere, "you'll get what you deserve. You're dismissed" Syrus saluted Lucrus and Lucrus saluted back. They then both retired to their tents. Once Syrus was back in his tent, he climbed on top of a few covers lying on the ground with the blue orb clenched in his fist. "At last," Syrus said to himself, "we have the final key. All we need to do now is find the temple. Then it will only be a matter of time till we can end this war and bring peace back to this land.

Syrus had just begun to dose off as he thought of the end of the war, when he heard a shrill voice. "For such a fit man, you sure to sleep a lot," the voice said. Syrus opened his eyes to see Shriek floating above his head. "Seriously, it's mid day and you're taking a nap?"

"Shriek?" Syrus said with a startled tone, "Has Ormek arrived already? He was not supposed to arrive till tonight."

"No, no," Shriek replied, "He just sent me here early to tell you; he's been delayed and won't be arriving till tomorrow night at the soonest."

"What's the hold up?" Syrus asked.

"You now his duties," Shriek said, "he has to get General Reock's troops started on preparing for the invasion." Shriek then paused and cleared his throat. "So, um… do you have it?" the fairy inquired.

"Yeah, I have it," answered Syrus.

"Let me see, let me see." Shriek said excitedly.

"You'll see it when I give it to Ormek," Syrus said.

"Oh, c'mon," Shriek pleaded, "We've been looking for it for so long. I just want to have a little peek at."

Syrus shook his head and said, "Forget it." After a few more seconds of begging, the fairy became weary of Syrus's lack of cooperation. Shriek began to shake, but Syrus saw what he was doing and smacked him with the back of his hand. "Oh no you don't," Syrus said with a slight hint of anger in his words. "You wouldn't want Ormek to find out you've been using your screech on me," he warned.

"You're no fun," Shriek said under his breath as he flew out of the tent.

"Stupid, annoying fairy," Syrus thought to himself as he crawled back on top of his covers.

* * *

The sun had just began to rise as Link and Chiron continued their pursuit of the Tyfirians. Its hot rays warmed Link as he ran his fingers through the tracks left behind by the Tyfirians. "Did you find something?" Chiron asked eagerly. 

"Yeah, it looks like those Tyfirians came right through here," Link replied. "The tracks are fresh too. It looks like will be able to overtake them before the end of the day."

"Let's go then," Chiron said. He mounted his horse and waited for Link to do the same before they set off.

Link and Chiron had been tracking the Tyfirians who attacked the ranch and stole the cattle for five days. They would have caught the Tyfirians in a matter of hours had the rainstorm not lasted so long. It rained for nearly a whole day, washing away the tracks of the thieves. Link and Chiron could only guess which way the Tyfirians went. Luckily they had guessed correctly and were able to discover which way they needed to go, but not before loosing a lot valuable time first. However, Link and Chiron were gaining considerable ground.

As the two young men followed the tracks, they noticed that the plants and grass were becoming scarce. Soon there was no vegetation to be found anywhere, with exception of the occasional cactus. The ground became a sea of rolling sand dunes. They would have seemed like ocean waves except for the gigantic rock formations, which rose out of the surface of the sand.

Chiron and Link rode through the scorching desert, using the trail of left by the Tyfirians and Chiron's cattle to lead them to their destination. The two companions rode on until midday. They had just stopped to rest their horses a bit when Chiron thought he saw something in the distance.

"Link, come see this," he called urgently. Link ran to Chiron's side on cast his view out upon the endless sands of the desert. "It may just be a mirage that I'm seeing," Chiron said, "but I think I see a settlement out there."

Link shaded his eyes from the sun with his hand and began scanning the area. Off in the distance Link saw the tracks of the Tyfirians, which lead up to what appeared to be a camp made up of several tents set up in a desert oasis. Link took a big gulp of water from his canteen and wiped the sweat from his brow. "I think you are right, Chiron." he said as he and Chiron jumped up on their horses.

Link and Chiron rode up to the camp slowly; making sure no one saw them. When they got to within two hundred yards of the camp, they dismounted their horses, and began to slowly walk to the camp. Link led the way, dashing behind various boulders and other rock formations. Chiron nervously followed Link's example. They proceeded in this manner until they were within twenty yards of the camp.

Link surveyed the camp for a minute before he turned to Chiron and said. "This is certainly where the Tyfirians where headed. It is crawling with those Tyfirian soldiers."

"What are we going to do?" Chiron asked with a hint of desperation in his tone. Before Link could answer, he was startled by a high pitched cry. Link and Chiron both covered their ears in an attempt to block out the sound, but to no avail. Link frantically tried to locate the source of the noise, but he could find nothing. Both Link and Chiron dropped to their knees, their heads felt as if someone had hit them with a hammer. The unceasing cry caused the two travelers to grow faint. Chiron was unable to handle the pressure and passed out. Link managed to fight it a few seconds longer, but he soon lost consciousness just as Chiron did.

After Link and Chiron had been overcome, the noise suddenly stopped, followed by dead silence. Soon after a black fairy flew over the bodies of his victims. "Ha, no one can withstand the amazing supersonic screech of Shriek." Shriek cried triumphantly. He looked at the fallen Hylians and smiled. "Oh, Captain Lucrus," he called out, zipping back toward the camp.

Link awoke to find his hands lashed to a sturdy wooden pole holding up the roof of a large tent. His feet were also bound. Chiron was tied up to the same pole in the same manner. Link fought to free his hands, but the rope was too tight. His struggling awoke Chiron. Once Chiron remembered what had happened, he let out a big sigh and let his chin drop to his chest. Link continued his attempt to break free, but it was no good.

A mere fifteen minutes after they awoke, Colonel Syrus entered the captives' tent. "Well, well, look at what the dodongo dragged in, a pair of spies," he said, "We don't take too kindly to spies around here." Syrus said as he pulled his sword from its sheath and pointed the tip of the blade at Link. Syrus looked at his prisoners coldly and said, "Let's make this simple. Tell me who sent you and I'll grant the two of you a quick and painless death. Withhold your information and I can promise you, you'll wish you had never been born." Link remained silent, he did not look at Syrus nor did he show any fear. Chiron however, did not remain so calm.

"We're not spies," Chiron blurted out, "We were following a group of men who stole our cattle. Their tracks led us here. I swear! We only came to retrieve what's ours."

"Ah, so you guys are from that ranch we sacked," Syrus interjected, "Well sorry kid, those cattle belong to Tyfiria now."

"No, those cows are mine and I'm taking them back with me," Chiron shouted.

Syrus laughed, "You're in no position to be making that statement."

Suddenly they all heard a blaring voice call out, "General Ormek approaches!" Syrus quickly exited the tent and ran out to meet the general. When Ormek arrived he gave Syrus and the rest of the Tyfirians a standard salute and dismounted his jet-black horse.

"Good afternoon general," Syrus said.

Ormek held up his hand and said, "You may cease with the pleasantries, Syrus. Just tell me, do you have it or not."

"Yes sir," Syrus said with no expression in his voice or on his face. Ormek let out a sigh of relief and held out his hand.

"Let me see it," he ordered. Syrus nodded and pulled the blue orb from his satchel. He handed it to Ormek, who snatched it from him like a frog snatches a fly from flight. Ormek held the orb delicately as he marveled at it. "Who retrieved this?" Ormek asked, not looking away from his prize.

"I did," said Captain Lucrus stepping out from the circle of soldiers who surrounded Ormek. Ormek finally turned his gaze away from the sphere and looked at Lucrus. "Lucrus," he said, "for you act of bravery, you shall be promoted. Congratulations Major Lucrus." Ormek and Lucrus saluted each other and then shook hands.

"Thank you sir," said Lucrus.

Shriek had by this time, returned to Ormek's side. "Oh I almost forgot," Shriek said, "I caught a couple of Cyntirian spies this morning. I thought you would like to know."

"Actually," Syrus corrected, "One of the men seems to be Hyrulian. His shield bore the mark of the royal family of Hyrule."

"And what about the other one?" Ormek asked.

"His gear seems to be of a Cyntirian craft." Syrus answered. "Also," he continued, "contrary to what Shriek said, I do not think they are spies, but men who followed us from the ranch we attacked to acquire the blue orb."

Upon hearing Syrus's comment, Ormek growled. "Take me to them at once!" he commanded. Syrus immediately turned and guided Ormek to the prisoners' tent. Once Ormek entered the tent and saw the image of the two pathetic captives, he burst out in laughter.

"This is it?" Ormek asked Syrus, "You said you captured men, but these are only a couple of boys."

"Whether they are boys or men, they were caught trespassing on our base," said Syrus, "but really, you should have known you couldn't take on the mighty Tyfirians."

"Hey," said Shriek sternly, "I was the one who caught them, not your soldiers."

"Will you two shut up?" shouted Ormek.

Ormek then walked around the tent eyeing Link and Chiron. "I have to thank you two for taking such good care of my orb," he said holding the orb in front of Chiron's face. Chiron looked at the orb then he looked at his captor.

"General Ormek," Chiron gasped when he realized he was talking to his country's greatest enemy.

"At your service," Ormek said to Chiron with at smug grin on his face. Chiron sat for a moment, unable to think of anything to say. He finally managed to formulate a sentence after a quarter minute of silence.

"Wh…why is that orb so important, that you have to ruin the lives of innocent people to get it?" Chiron asked.

"You are a Cyntirian and the Cyntirians are my sworn enemies," Ormek snapped, "I would never divulge any information to one."

Ormek circled around the tent till he stood in front of Link. Neither of them said a word. Link could not explain it, but when he saw Ormek holding the blue orb, he sensed some how that the Tyfirian General would upset the balance of the world. Ormek left without saying another word, followed closely by Shriek and Syrus.

"What should we do with them?" asked Syrus once they were outside of the tent.

"Kill them," ordered Ormek. "They may not be spies, but they now know the location of our base. We can not allow them to leave with that information."

"How shall it be done?" inquired Syrus.

"I don't care," replied Ormek, "Put a few men in charge of the prisoners' execution. Tell them they may finish them off in whatever manner they see fit." Syrus saluted Ormek and left.

Ormek walked to the center of the camp and sat down by the fire. Only Shriek sat with him, but they did not speak. Ormek stared into the fire until the sun began to set. Off in the distance he could see someone approaching the camp on horseback. Ormek recognized him as a Tyfirian scout and ran out to meet him with Shriek right behind him.

"What news do you bring?" asked Ormek once the scout dismounted his horse.

"I have located the temple, sir," the scout answered.

"Excellent," Ormek said without a shred of emotion.

"What are our plans?" questioned Shriek.

"We set out as soon as the sun rises tomorrow morning," Ormek replied.

"Shouldn't we leave now?" asked the fairy.

"No, there will be too many verioks out tonight," Ormek explained.

Verioks, otherwise known as sand serpents, were stealthy creatures. They burrowed tunnels underneath the sand, which they used to move through out the desert. Verioks had no eyes to speak of, but their other senses were extremely attuned. Verioks were also, magnificent hunters. They caught their prey by feeling the movement of animals above the sand. Once they felt something above them, they rose to the surface and encircled their prey with their long bodies. They would then ensnare the animal with its tail and begin constricting it. Verioks hated heat, for this reason, they only came out when it was cool, like the night. This caused verioks to be mostly nocturnal. This was why Ormek did not want to risk traveling through the desert at night.

"Take this young man to the mess tent and get him something to eat," Ormek ordered Shriek, "he will need his energy, if he is to guide us tomorrow." Shriek led the scout away, leaving Ormek alone. Ormek walked back to the fire and admired the blue orb some more. He grinned as the light from the fire illuminated the ball. Ormek sat up by the fire, well into the night, long after Colonel Syrus and all the other troops retired.

As the night grew older the fire died down. Ormek stared into the hot coals as they lost their glow. Finally he got up and threw a few logs on the fire, giving it new life. Ormek then lay down in the sand in the middle of the camp and looked up at the glistening stars in the sky. At last he fell asleep as he thought of the morning's approaching journey.


	6. Chapter Six: Manhandla

**Chapter Six: Manhandla**

"Get up!" the guards dictated to Chiron and Link, as the ropes binding their hands and legs were cut. They were forced to their feet and their hands were bound again, this time behind their backs. They were led to the tent door and shoved out with such great force that they both fell face forward into the sand. The Tyfirians picked them up and forced them to their feet again.

Link quickly looked around the camp, trying to find something he could do to free himself. Unfortunately all he saw was the sun beginning to rise in the east and General Ormek standing directly in front of him.

"Good morning boys," Ormek said with a smug look on his face, "I hope you two slept well last night. But alas, you shall soon be resting for all eternity." Ormek laughed and turned to one of the Tyfirian soldiers. "Tell me Lieutenant Argom," he said, "What method have you chosen to dispose of these pests?"

"I thought we might cast them into the manhandla pit, sir," Argom answered.

"Very good," Take them there immediately," Ormek said. Argom saluted Ormek, who saluted back and ran off.

Ormek met Syrus, Lucrus, Shriek, and the scout at the northwest end of the camp. "Good morning, sir," Syrus said to Ormek as they mounted their horses.

"It certainly is," Ormek replied. Once they were all mounted, the scout kicked his horse's side and took the lead. The others followed closely behind him, but none closer than Ormek.

Meanwhile, Link and Chiron had begun their journey to the manhandla pit. Five soldiers, including Lieutenant Argom, kept them in line. Argom and two of the soldiers were mounted on horses, but the other two walked behind Chiron and Link, with spears in hand.

They traveled for two hours or so, during this march, Link had time to think. He did not think about how tragically his life was about to end, nor did he think about his life and his many adventures. He did not even try thinking of a way to escape. He was too disturbed to think about any of that. All he could think about is that feeling he got when he saw Ormek holding the blue orb. Link somehow knew that the orb was something of great importance and that Ormek was going to upset the balance of the entire world. Link felt that he had to stop Ormek from accomplishing his designs and soon, but he could not stop thinking about what Ormek was planning long enough to develop a plan to escape.

It was not until they arrived at the manhandla pit, that Link began to seriously think about a means of escape. Link quickly surveyed his surroundings, looking for something that he could use to his advantage. When he found nothing but the desert sand he began to study the manhandla itself. The pit the manhandla resided in was twenty feet deep and twenty feet in diameter. The manhandla had four heads; each one resembled a giant deku baba. The manhandla was buried in sand all the way up to its heads. This gave the heads very limited maneuverability. Each of these heads faced a different direction. This way, no matter what side of the pit its prey fell in there was a manhandla head there to gobble it up. The manhandla also possessed many tentacles putruding from the sand in several places, which were used for grabbing its prey if its head could not reach or if something was just outside the pit.

As Link studied this vile creature he saw a possible escape or at least a delay of his execution. "Let's throw 'em in one at a time," Argom said, "I want to savor this. Now then, who's first?"

"I'll go," Link said boldly. Argom gave Link a look of bewilderment. He was shocked anyone would want to speed up their demise, but he ordered his men to throw Link in anyway. The two soldiers pointed their spears at Link and began push him in to the pit, but Link leapt into the pit before he could be forced in. He got enough lift from his jump to land in the exact middle of the pit, right in the middle of all four of the manhandla's heads. All four of the heads thrashed around, trying to get a bite of Link, but none of the heads could turn far enough to get him and none of the tentacles could reach far enough to ensnare him.

"Don't just stand there you fools, kill him!" Argom yelled to his men. The two spearmen ran to edge of the pit and threw their spears at Link. The first spear tore through one of the manhandla heads, killing it. The head soon fell to the ground lifeless. The second spear hit just next to Link's foot. Link kicked the spear over and used its sharp tip to cut the bands that bound his hands. He then used the spear to viciously stab another of the heads of the manhandla. Argom then motioned to the other two soldiers. They dismounted their horses and armed themselves with a bows and arrows. The archers ran to the edge of the pit and began to fire their arrows at Link. Link was forced to leave his safe spot between the manhandla heads and find refuge next to base of the pit wall that the archers were firing from. Link was now safe from the Tyfirians arrow, but vulnerable to the tentacles of the manhandla. Just a few seconds after running to the wall of the pit, Link's ankle was grabbed by a tentacle of the manhandla, but the hylian quickly stabbed it with his spear and the tentacle pulled back and began swinging wildly through the air. Link saw his opportunity and ran to the base of the tentacle and ran it through with his spear. Once Link stepped away from the wall, he was immediately fired upon again by one of the Tyfirian archers. The other archer was repositioning himself, to get a better shot at Link. Link dove back to the base of the wall for a moment more of protection. Link had caught a glimpse of the other archer running to the other end of the pit. He knew he had to do something quick otherwise he would soon be an easy target for the other archer.

Link took a chance and ran along the base of the wall to the nearest moving tentacle. As he had hoped, the tentacle seized Link by the feet. It lifted Link high above its remaining heads, preparing to drop him into its mouth, but before it could, Link threw his spear at one of the manhandla's remaining heads. The manhandla howled in pain and its tentacle began to whip around wildly, flinging Link to the pit's edge. Link landed next to the archer that was repositioning himself. He was too stunned to think of stringing an arrow. Instead Link tackled him by the knees and brought him to the ground. The archer's arrows spilled out of his quiver and onto the ground. Link grabbed one of the arrows and stabbed his adversary in the arm. The Tyfirian let out a scream before then Link knocked him out cold with a fist to the face.

Just as Link had defeated one enemy, he became aware of another. An arrow from the other archer whizzed past Link's head, missing by just a few inches. Link picked up the unconscious archer's bow and notched an arrow. Before Link could get a shot off, another arrow flew by him, this time grazing his left shoulder. Unfazed, Link let his arrow fly. His shot was perfect. It hit the Tyfirian right in the heart.

At this point, the other two soldiers were fast approaching Link. They were no longer armed save their shields. Link fired a few arrows at the Tyfirians, but the Tyfirian shields deflected them. Link determined arrows could not stop them, so he decided to charge the soldiers instead. As Link drew closer to the soldiers, he lowered his shoulder and knocked one of them into the pit. The soldier was immediately wrapped up by a tentacle, and fed to the last remaining head of the manhandla. Link easily defeated the last soldier. He quickly crouched to the ground swept the feet of the soldier using a powerful kick. The soldier fell backward knocking his head on the ground, which caused him to lose consciousness.

Lieutenant Argom was in awe. He had never seen anyone fight with such skill. Still, Argom did not forget his task. He pulled Chiron in front of him and held a knife up to his captive's throat.

"Don't move," Argom shouted to his prisoner. When Link discovered Chiron's plight, he stopped dead in his tracks. "Drop the bow and put your hands up," Argom ordered. Link was not willing to endanger his companion's life, so he did as he was told. "Now start walking back here slowly," Argom continued. Again, Link reluctantly obeyed.

As Link approached, Argom regained his confidence and loosened his grip on the knife. Chiron realized his captor mistake and elbowed him in the gut. Argom dropped the knife and Chiron slipped away. Argom was quick to recover. He snatched the knife out of the sand and pointed it at Link and Chiron. Link slowly approached Argom and Argom started to back up.

"Stay back!" Argom shouted nervously.

"Don't worry," Link said with a soothing tone, "We will not hurt you if you let us go."

"Ha, I won't believe your lies," Argom said still backing away from Link. Argom continued to back away until he reached the edge of the manhandla pit.

"Watch out!" Chiron cried out, but it was too late. Argom had fallen into the pit. He hit the ground with an awful "thud" and he rolled right into the mouth of the manhandla.

Thoughts of General Ormek then immediately began coming back to Link. "Chiron, we need to get back to the Tyfirian's camp right away," he said with urgent voice. Link and Chiron ran over to the Tyfirians' horses and mounted them. "We have to find Ormek," Link said.

"Why?" asked Chiron, not understanding Link's exigency.

"I will explain later, let's go," Link replied. He then kicked his horse's side and sped off closely followed by Chiron.


	7. Chapter Seven: The Triforce of Knowledge

**Chapter Seven: The Triforce of Knowledge**

"The hour of my revenge is nigh at hand," Ormek said to himself as the Temple of Knowledge came into his view. He, Syrus, Lucrus, Shriek, and the scout had been riding through the sandy desert for just under seven hours. The trek had taken a lot out of all them. The blistering heat of the sun had been beating down on them the whole way. The Tyfirians had covered their faces with white scarves to prevent their skin from burning.'

All the members of the company were weary from the long ride, not only because of the searing heat, but the lack of water as well. Only Ormek did not feel the heat. He was too focused on his prize to think of anything else. Now that the temple was in sight, it seemed all physical pain had left him. Seeing the temple for the first time in fourteen years, brought back some tortuous memories, none the less Ormek was overjoyed to see it.

Now that Ormek knew where the temple was, he relieved the scout and took the lead. He led the group to the secret entrance at the rear of the temple. When they arrived at their destination, Ormek, Syrus, and Lucrus dismounted their horses. The scout then took the horses to the near by well to give them a drink. Ormek guzzled down the rest of the water in his canteen, as did the rest of the group.

"Why did you lead us to lead us to back of the temple?" Lucrus asked. "The entrance to the temple is on the other side."

Ormek scowled and snapped at Lucrus, "This temple was built to make simple fools like you think that its entrance faces west, when in fact it faces east." Ormek turned away from Lucrus and began to feel the bricks, looking for the trigger brick. It took him several minutes to locate it. Once the brick was pushed in, the group heard a loud grinding sound, but they could not see the entrance.

"The door must have been buried beneath the sand," Ormek said, "Get digging." Syrus and Lucrus dropped to their knees and started shoveling the sand away with their hands, while Ormek left. He soon returned with three shovels that had been left behind when the excavation site was abandoned and passed them out.

The three men dug for a little under hour before they uncovered the entrance to the temple. The work was exceedingly tiresome, especially after the long ride through the desert. Nonetheless, Ormek forced them to keep digging until the passage was completely cleared out.

"Stand guard, Major," Ormek ordered, he then crouched and began to crawl through the passage. He was followed closely by Syrus, who had a difficult time fitting through the door, on account of his large stature. Shriek flew in, after Syrus finished fighting his way through the passage.

Syrus was fascinated with the architecture of the temple. It was the finest workmanship of any building he had ever seen.

"It's even more magnificent than you described," Syrus said. Ormek did not respond. His attention was turned towards one of four skeletons lying on the ground. It wore clothes that were now nothing more than rags and a sword protruding from its rib cage. Ormek knelt down and stared into the empty eye sockets of his grandfather's skull.

"Gramps, I'm back. It's been a long time since we parted, hasn't it?" Ormek said, almost as if he expected the bones to answer him. "Oh, how I wish you could see our people now. We have our own king, King Talrid. He is a righteous man, whose only desire is to serve his people. In fact he distributes his royal wealth to those who can not afford to buy food; he is no richer than any simple peasant living in Tyfiria is.

"Ah yes, Tyfiria, that is the name of our new free nation. It was named after the Tyfirian rebellion, the band that was responsible for freeing our people. Thanks to them, our people are no longer slaves of the corrupt Cyntirians." Ormek turned his gaze over to the other three skeletons clad in Cyntirian armor. His eyes began to fill with tears, but he forced them back. He drew his sword and with a strong swipe, his blade plowed through one of the skeleton's rib cages. The force from the blow flung the bones all about the temple.

Ormek turned back towards his grandfather's bones and began to speak to it again. "Still, even with our freedom, the Cyntirians oppress us. The land we won from them during our revolution is barren and it can not support our growing populace. We can not grow enough food to feed everyone. The whole country is starving.

"Don't worry though. I am now the commander-in-chief for all of the Tyfirian forces. We have both a mighty army and navy. They are both great assets to Tyfiria; they raid Cyntir constantly to obtain supplies, which our people so desperately need. But we are not yet strong enough to take Cyntir head on, so we are forced to remain living on the useless mountainous land of the north.

"But all that is about to change. With the power I will acquire from the Sacred Realm, I'll be able conquer Cyntir and take what rightfully belongs to Tyfiria. Yes, soon the Cyntirian king will know the suffering he and his nobles caused us. Hmm, how ironic that the temple the Cyntirians were so obsessed with fourteen years ago, after wasting so many resources and slaves on trying to uncover the secrets of this place, all their efforts will result in their former slaves exiling them to barren lands.

Ormek stood up and walked toward the pedestal in the center of the temple. He sheathed his sword and then pulled out an odd looking staff that was strapped to his back. The staff was about a yard long and it was a dark ocean blue. The tip was made up of an odd shaped, three-pronged spearhead. On the top of the staff was a coil in which a spherical object would fit. Ormek then took out the blue orb from a pouch that hung from his belt. He gently placed the orb inside the coil and held the staff above his head.

"Behold, I Ormek, have assembled the scepter of Sokor," he chanted, "and with this staff I shall gain access to the secluded part of Sacred Realm and claim the power that lies with in it!" Ormek then thrust the tip of the staff into a small hole in the middle of the pedestal. The orb began to spin within the coil and spit out beams of energy that formed into a bright portal. Syrus and Shriek were amazed by this spectacle, but Ormek acted as if he had seen this magic everyday of his life. After staring into the portal for a short while, Ormek stepped into it and vanished.

* * *

"Faster, yah, we must go faster," Link yelled as he kicked his horse's side. His horse was running as fast as it was able, but Link was too anxious to care. Chiron followed behind as closely as he could, but keeping up with the blinding pace of Link's steed was not an easy task. Fortunately, Chiron was skilled rider and the ride was almost over. 

Link and Chiron's destination soon came into view. The two young men had ridden all day through the sandy desert. After their escape from the manhandla, they rode back to the Tyfirian camp to retrieve their equipment. Luckily for them, most of the troops had gone out on patrol. Using his stealth skills, Link was able to venture into the practically unguarded camp and retrieve both his and Chiron's weapons. From there, Link picked up Ormek's trail. There had been no wind that day, so the tracks were clearly visible, even on horseback.

Link and Chiron had found their way to the Temple of Knowledge. Upon seeing the temple in the setting sun's light, a chill went down Link's spine. He followed the tracks to rear of the temple. As Link turned the southwest corner of the temple, his horse suddenly collapsed. To Link's terror, he looked up to see Major Lucrus holding the hilt of a long sword. The tip of the blade had been plunged into Link's horse.

Link sprung to his feet and drew his sword and shield. He swung his sword mightily at Lucrus, but Lucrus blocked the strike with a slash of his own. Lucrus attacked again, but this time his sword crashed against Link's shield and Link was knocked of balance and fell to his knees. Chiron dismounted his horse and ran to Link's defense, but it was not needed. Link rolled away from Lucrus before he could attack. Again Link got back on his feet. Chiron came to Link's side and then the both of them attacked in unison. Both of their attacks were blocked, however Lucrus was knocked backward and he fell into the hole that was dug to uncover the temple's entrance. Lucrus quickly realized where he was and slipped through the small passage.

"Colonel, were under attack!" Lucrus shouted as he emerged from the small tunnel. Syrus drew his word and readied himself for battle. Lucrus positioned himself near the door with his sword raised above his head, ready to decapitate anyone who might try to get through the passage, but no one came. Lucrus stood motionless for what seemed like an eternity to him. Finally, he heard something coming through the passage. Lucrus expected to see the head of one of his enemies, instead a bomb rolled out from the door. Before Lucrus could act, the bomb exploded, and threw him back, unconscious.

Syrus was blinded momentarily by the blast, but his vision returned swiftly. Out from the smoke, came two figures.

When Link saw the portal in the center of the room, he knew instantly it led to the Sacred Realm. He knew he had to close the portal quickly or something terrible might come out.

"Hey, your those to guys we caught hanging around our camp!" Shriek said in shock. He began to shake. Shriek shot a concentrated sonic blast at Link, who dodged it easily. The sonic wave continued on and hit the temple wall. The shock was very powerful, but the wall seemed untouched. Link quickly pulled his boomerang from his belt and threw it towards Shriek. It found its mark and the black fairy fell to the ground.

Syrus then came after Link, he swung his long sword with a vertical swipe, and Link blocked with his own sword. Chiron rushed over to help, but as he approached, Syrus turned and threw a fist, which hit his opponent in the eye. Chiron fell on his back and had to struggle to get back to his feet.

Syrus swung wildly at Link, but all of his attacks fell upon Link's shield. The Hyrulian began to grow impatient; he was too concerned with closing the portal to put his head in the fight. Link forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand. He put his shield on his back and grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands. Link went all out on Syrus. He swung his sword furiously, forcing Syrus to revert to a defensive position. Then with one powerful swing, he knocked the sword out of Syrus's hand. He then kicked Syrus in the stomach, sending him careening back.

Chiron was back on his feet by this time. He rushed over to Syrus and pointed the tip of his sword to the Tyfirian's throat. Link dashed over to the portal. He studied it for a moment and determined he needed to pull the scepter from the pedestal to close the portal. He firmly grasped the rod, but before he was able to pull it from its place, a fist came through the portal and struck Link on his lower jaw. The force from the blow caused him to release his grip on the scepter and fall backwards.

Ormek then leapt out of the portal with a sword in his left hand. He walked up to the scepter and pulled it from the pedestal with his right hand, causing the portal to close behind him. He then hurled the scepter to the ground and turned back to Link.

"So, you two were able escape your doom," Ormek taunted, "I am impressed you were able to make it this far. You have even managed to defeat some of my best servants." He glanced over at Syrus. "Even Colonel Syrus has fallen namelessly before you. Tell me lad, by what name shall I call you?"

Link got back on his feet and said, "My name is Link, not that it will matter to you. You will not live long enough for it to matter."

Ormek chuckled, "Why do you seek to take my life, Link? And why have you, a Hyrulian, chosen to interfere with the affairs of Tyfiria?"

"You have upset the balance of the Sacred Realm and that is a problem for everyone in the world." Link said with an authoritative tone.

"Sacred Realm?" Chiron said in astonishment. He loosed his grip on his sword. Syrus saw his opportunity and rolled away. The colonel retrieved his sword and started to attack, but Ormek stopped him before he could.

"Stand down Syrus. I do not want you to kill them. I want that honor for myself." Ormek then held out his clenched right fist and the symbol of the Triforce appeared. At first Link was confused, he did not know what he was seeing. He did not understand until the upside-down triangle in the middle of the Triforce, which was normally left empty, was filled in and started to glow brighter than the other three triangles.

Link stared coldly at Ormek. He carefully studied his enemy out in his mind. "So," Link thought, "this is the man responsible for Calrith's death and the suffering of all the people of Cyntir. He will pay for what he has done. I do not know what power this new Triforce piece holds, if it is indeed a piece of the Triforce. Well it does not matter. Ormek is in for a shock. I have a piece of the Triforce too. He will fall just like the rest of his lackeys."

Ormek drew a second sword from its sheathe and stepped down from the pedestal. He approached Chiron and they crossed swords. Link took this opportunity to lunge at Ormek. It was a cheap shot, but Link did not think Ormek deserved a fair fight. Nevertheless, Ormek was able to block the attack with his other sword, without even looking away from Chiron. It seemed to Link that Ormek already knew he was going to attack.

For nearly half a minute neither Link nor Chiron attacked and Ormek remained as still as stone. Finally Chiron swung his sword, but it was blocked just like Link's had been. Link attacked again and was again blocked. Link and Chiron then attacked at the same time, this time holding nothing back, but Ormek was still able to block everything that was thrown at him. Still the fight was going well. Ormek only seemed to defend and was quickly moving back to the northeast corner of the temple. It was not until Ormek was forced into that corner that he finally launched an attack of his own. The speed and force that were in his swing surprised Link and Chiron. They both narrowly avoided getting hit.

Ormek went ballistic. Both his swords became a blur as he slashed furiously. His attacks were so fast and frequent that both of his enemies had to devote all of their energy to blocking his mighty blades. With each attack of Ormek's, Link and Chiron found it more difficult to block the next one. Chiron was soon overwhelmed by the relentless attacks of Ormek. He lost his sword trying to block an attack and was hurled to the ground by a kick to the stomach from Ormek.

Ormek then turned all his attention towards Link. With two swords to defend against, Link tired quickly. With each slash he defended against it felt as if his muscles were on fire. Just as Link was about ready to give in, Chiron rejoined the fight. This provided Link with a great relief, but he was still too tired to attack and both he and Chiron were fading fast.

"Chiron, fall back!" Link ordered. Chiron was all too happy to abandon the fight and head for the door with Link. Syrus instinctively chased after them. Link and Chiron slipped out the passage and Syrus followed after, but his large build caused him to get stuck. He struggled to get through, but to no avail. Ormek ran over to Syrus and yanked him out of the passage by his belt. He then slipped out the door just in time to see Link and Chiron ride off in the desert night on Chiron's horse. Ormek ran as fast as he could in pursuit of the two men. Although he was much slower than the horse, he was confident he would catch them.

Link and Chiron did not get very far from the temple. Just as they thought they were in the clear, their horse collapsed. Chiron looked up from the ground to see his horse's leg wrapped up by a long scaly tail. The horse was then dragged beneath the sand. Shortly after this, a large round scaly body rose out of the sand and sunk back under. The body continued to pop in and out of the sand, each time rising at a different location.

"What was that?" Link asked Chiron. The farmer only looked at Link with fear in his eyes and shook his head.

"That is a veriok," said Ormek, who had just caught up with them and stood barely out of reach of the veriok's grasp that encircled his adversaries. "Fascinating creature, really. Did you know that a veriok kills its prey by constricting it till it suffocates? It will be a pleasure to watch this sand snake eat, especially if his meal consists of you two.

As soon as Ormek finished speaking, as if on queue, the veriok ensnared Link and Chiron, wrapping them up in its long muscular body. Its eye-less head burst out of the sand and it flicked its tongue at its prey. The veriok then began to constrict the two men. Link's breath was squeezed right out of him and he found it nearly impossible to take in more air. Things grew blacker with each breath he attempted to take and Link could see the same thing was happening to Chiron.

Ormek watched with a big smile on his face as his two enemies slowly suffocated, but before the last ounce of life was squeezed from them, a large bird dived out of the sky and clawed at the veriok's head with its mighty talons. The sand serpent was frightened and released its prey. The bird then swooped down, grabbed Link and Chiron with its feet, and flew off.

"Blast!" Ormek yelled as he watched his enemies escape. His cry caught the attention of the veriok. It retreated back to the sand and began to circle around Ormek. The Tyfirian drew one of his swords and closed his eyes. When the veriok attempted to wrap up Ormek, the general performed a back flip and avoided the snake's grasp. The veriok caught nothing but air and the missed attack left its mid-section out in the open. Ormek lunged at the veriok and sliced through it. The serpent howled in pain and thrashed about. In its fury it tried to bite Ormek, but the Hylian jumped out of the way, and thrust his sword through the top of the veriok's head, killing it instantly.

"Blast!" Ormek shouted again as he pulled his sword form the veriok's skull. "Oh well, they will not be able to stop me now. Not even the whole Cyntirian army can stop me." With that Ormek headed back towards the temple. When he got back he discovered Syrus had pulled Lucrus and Shriek out of the temple and was tending to them. Shriek and Lucrus had both recovered, while the scout had returned with the horses and appeared to be ready to move out.

"Did you catch them, sir?" Syrus inquired.

"No," Ormek replied, "but those two will be caught, one way or another. But for now, they are of little importance. Come let us return to our camp."

"But sir," Syrus protested, "won't that be dangerous with the verioks out?"

"You leave them to me," Ormek snapped, "With the power I posses no veriok shall be able to harm us." Ormek reentered the temple retrieved the scepter of Sokor. He then walked back to the temple entrance and pulled out the trigger brick. He then took the blue orb out of the coil of the scepter of Sokor. He tossed the sphere up in the air and before it could hit the ground, Ormek drew his sword and struck it, causing it to shatter into dozens of little pieces. He took the remaining parts of the staff and dropped them down the well.

"No one shall ever again enter the secluded part of the Sacred Realm," Ormek said to himself. "Shriek!" Shriek flew over to his master's side and inquired how he could be of assistance. "Relay a message to Admiral Shrion for me," Ormek ordered. "Tell him my mission was a success and I want him to set up the blockade immediately. Also, tell him that once he has the blockade set up, I want him to personally head to the Frozen Fortress with five of his best ships. I want him to be on the look out for those two men. His job is to make sure they do not penetrate the fortresses defenses."

"Yessss, sir" Shriek said with a confused tone. With out receiving any further instruction he flew off at top speed towards his destination.

"So, Link," Ormek thought to himself, "you also have some connection to the Sacred Realm and that accursed owl Kaepora Gaebora. Yes, I am sure he will tell you all about the ancient relic that can confound my power. No matter, you will never get to it any way. I will make sure of that." Ormek then leapt up on his horse as did the other Tyfirians and they began their ride back to camp.


	8. Chapter Eight: The Lost Legend of the Tr...

**Chapter Eight: The Lost Legend of the Triforce**

Link awoke to find himself on top of a tall cliff. He could see the desert out in the distance and a nearly full moon hovering above him. Chiron was lying next to him, but he was still unconscious. Link was terribly confused. He had no idea how he got on top of the cliff. He remembered running from Ormek and getting caught by the veriok, but everything after that was a blur. He was not able to piece things together till he saw a large bird flying towards the cliff he was standing on.

"Ah Link, you're awake," the bird said.

"Kaepora Gaebora, It has been a long time," said Link, excited to see his old acquaintance.

"Yes it has, but unfortunately there's no time for us to catch up," the majestic owl interrupted, "There are some very pressing matters that I must discuss with you. As you may already know, General Ormek of Tyfiria has upset the balance of the Sacred Realm and the entire world and I fear that it is once again up to you to set things right."

Many of the day's events still confused Link, so he decided to ask a few questions. "I was wondering what had been happening. All day strange things have been occurring. Could you shed a little light on the situation?"

"I'll tell you everything you need to know," said Kaepora. "Today General Ormek entered the secluded part of the Sacred Realm, using the scepter of Sokor. An ancient and powerful relic was stored in that part of the Sacred Realm, the Triforce of Knowledge.

"What, but how?" Link stuttered. "How can there be another piece of the Triforce? I've never heard of it in any of the legends I have studied. Was there another goddess who aided in the creation of the world?"

Kaepora Gaebora ruffled his feathers and began to speak. "Not quite. Long ago, several millennia after the departure of the golden goddesses and the creation of the world, a fourth god descended from the heavens. This god's name was Sokor, brother to the three golden goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore. But Sokor, unlike his sisters was not a benevolent god. He did not come to this world to help its inhabitants; he came to bring them under his rule.

"Sokor, since he had first came into being, had always valued the gaining of knowledge above all else. He valued it more than all the treasure and all the living things in the universe. Sokor devoted his life to obtaining every ounce of information that existed. With the knowledge he gained he created many worlds and he ruled over them with an iron fist. Sokor soon thought himself to be the greatest of all the beings in the universe and that because of his great knowledge he believed he should rule over all things. His sisters did not share his destructive thirst for knowledge. While they did believe knowledge was important, they thought things such as peace, kindness, love, and courage were much more valuable things. The goddesses saw that such attributes were quickly vanishing from Sokor's heart. In an attempt to show Sokor the error of his ways they created this world. It was full of peace and beauty. Two attributes Sokor's worlds lacked. When Sokor saw the work of his sisters, he mocked it and began to create worlds after the likeness of his sisters', but he could not recreate the beauty that his sisters had made.

"Sokor could not understand it. His knowledge of creating worlds far surpassed his sisters', and yet time after time he failed to produce a world which could rival this one. Sokor grew angrier, with each world he created. Finally he decided that if he could not create such a world on his own he would conquer this planet and its inhabitants. The goddesses' plan had failed. Instead of showing their brother the importance of wisdom, courage, and the power of the heart, they only angered him and caused hate to swell within him.

"After Sokor descended upon this world, he created a great army out of an ancient race of aggressive beings known as the Ulgerons. The Ulgerons were a terrible people. They hated all other races and desired nothing more than to conquer the world. So when Sokor offered them the chance to become the supreme race of this world, they jumped at the chance. The army that Sokor created was unlike anything this world had ever seen before. The Ulgerons terrorized the other races and forced many of them into submission. It was not until the Hylians, Gorons, Zoras, Sheikah, Gerudo, and even the Deku formed a great alliance that there was any hope for victory.

"With the power of the Triforce, the alliance became much greater than the forces of the Ulgerons. The Ulgerons were forced back and were nearly defeated. But Sokor devised an evil plan, which turned the tides of the war back in his favor. He created a fourth piece of the Triforce, the Triforce of Knowledge. He infused the Triforce of Knowledge with a part of his evil spirit. Once Sokor placed the Triforce of Knowledge in the center of the Triforce the other three pieces became corrupt. This caused the great alliance to lose their strength, for they drew a great deal of their might from the sacred triangles. As time passed the alliance fell apart and the Ulgerons continued their conquest.

"One by one the races all fell, until only the Sheikah and the Hylians remained. In the final battle of the war, the two races defended themselves in the great fortress of Ulron-Chi that had been created by the golden goddesses themselves. The Hylians and Sheikah fought valiantly, but the Ulgerons were too numerous and forced the defenses back to the fortress's keep. The Ulgerons were just about to take the keep when help from the goddesses arrived. Soarlec the phoenix, servant of the goddesses, descended from the heavens. He removed the Triforce of Knowledge from the other three pieces and sanctified them. Soarlec carried the Triforce of Knowledge to a remote part of the Sacred Realm and created a protective barrier around it, separating it from the rest of the realm and leaving only one path to the evil Triforce segment.

"Without the Triforce of Knowledge draining power from the rest of the Triforce the Ulgerons withered and were easily defeated by the Sheikah and Hylians. Sokor was angered greatly by his sisters' interference. He attacked Soarlec and the two fought a legendary battle. In the end, both Sokor and Soarlec were sealed in the gap between dimensions.

"Fearing the evil power contained within the Triforce of Knowledge, the Sheikah built the Temple of Knowledge around the gate to the secluded part of the Sacred Realm. They also sealed the gate and created three keys and scattered them across the world. Also, in order to make sure no one ever tried to take the Triforce of Knowledge from its rightful place, they made a treaty with the other races. They all agreed to never speak of the war and the Triforce of Knowledge again, in hopes that the evil piece of the Triforce would drop out of the history of the world.

"The treaty worked and over time the history of the great war dropped out of legend. No records were kept of it and those who knew of the war never spoke of it. The only record of the war was inscribed on the walls of the temple of knowledge. For more than two thousand years the Temple of Knowledge remained undisturbed until fourteen years ago, when the Cyntirians discovered it.

"Not long after the temple's discovery, a slave of the Cyntirians found the entrance to temple. He only showed the entrance to one person before his death, his grandson, Ormek. The slave made a copy of a key portion of the inscriptions and gave it to his grandson. After his grandfather was killed, Ormek escaped from slavery and joined a band of other ex-slaves. This band fought against the Cyntirians and freed their people. After the war between the Cyntirians and Tyfirians ended, Ormek dedicated most of his time to translating the inscriptions. His mission eventually brought him to Hyrule. Once there he discovered an old book containing a translation of the ancient text.

"Ormek translated his portion of the inscriptions and learned the secret to opening the gate to the secluded part of the Sacred Realm and the great power which was held within it. Still filled with hatred for the Cyntirians, Ormek set out to obtain the three keys, which would allow him to unlock the gate to the Sacred Realm. It took him years to find all three keys, but yesterday his search ended with the recovery of that blue orb and now Ormek has taken the Triforce of Knowledge from its rightful place and he has upset the balance of the Sacred Realm in the process. But that is not all, I fear Ormek is planning to use his piece of the Triforce to do something terrible to the people of Cyntir."

"How do you know all this?" Link asked, for there seemed to be many gaps in the legend, which he did not understand.

"I met Ormek back when he visited Hyrule about two years ago. The first time I saw him I felt a strong urge to speak with him. I could sense that this was a man of great importance and that he would somehow affect the course of history. It was the same feeling I had when I first met you Link.

"I tried to have a conversation with Ormek, but he did not wish to share his designs with me. I followed him back to Tyfiria and have been watching him closely ever since. It did not take me long before I realized what he was trying to accomplish.

"So you found out about the lost legend of the Triforce by spying on Ormek?" Link inquired.

"No, no, I don't think Ormek even knows the whole legend himself," the bird answered, "he's spent too much time focusing on obtaining the prize. He hasn't spent any time researching its origin. No, I've known about that legend almost my whole life. I am much older than I look, Link. I was alive back during the ancient war, though I did not have the form I do now.

"Yes, the Triforce of Knowledge is indeed an evil relic and in the hands of someone so full anger and hatred as Ormek is, it could cause problems for every nation in the world."

"What exactly makes this piece of the Triforce so powerful?" Link asked, continuing his inquiry.

"The Triforce of Knowledge does not function in the same way that the other three pieces do," Kaepora said. "It gives its holder the ability to take in vast amounts of information in a relatively short amount of time. It also allows its holder to process that information much quicker and more efficiently than any ordinary person. However, the Triforce of Knowledge has one major disadvantage when compared to the other Triforce pieces. He who possess it losses the ability to use any kind of magic other than the magic that is contained directly within the Triforce of Knowledge and unless its holder acquires another piece of the Triforce, he can never again use magic unless he rids himself of the evil Triforce. Although, there are legends of certain items created by the Ulgerons that can extend or unlock secret powers of the Triforce of Knowledge, but even I am not sure if those legends are true. But it does not matter. The Triforce of Knowledge by itself makes Ormek a formidable adversary, for there are many hidden powers, which remain dormant within the golden triangle that he may yet uncover.

"I fear that Ormek will use the power he obtained today to destroy Cyntir, while I don't know his plan exactly, it is apparent that the Triforce of Knowledge is not safe in his possession. That is why you must defeat general Ormek and return the Triforce of Knowledge to its rightful place.

"But how can I beat him?" Link said with a desperate tone, "The Triforce of Knowledge seems to have the power to make him invincible. When I fought him at the Temple he wiped the floor with me and Chiron and he did not even seem to be trying."

"Relax Link," Kaepora said calmly, "The Triforce of Knowledge is very powerful, but its full power can't be utilized by anyone until their mind becomes completely synchronized with it. That would take even the most dedicated person at least a thousand years to do. Still, the longer Ormek has the Triforce of Knowledge the more his mind will meld with it and with that his power will grow. That is why it is imperative that you stop him as soon as possible."

"All right," said Link, "just tell me how to stop this guy and I will do it."

Kaepora hooted loudly with excitement and said, "Off Cyntir's southern shore on a large island lays the great Frozen Fortress. In that fortress there is a temple known as the Blizzard Temple. Somewhere with in that temple you will find the ancient relic, which can separate the Triforce of Knowledge from Ormek and send it back to the Sacred Realm. The secluded part of the Sacred Realm will then seal itself up again. Hopefully the Triforce of Knowledge will never be needed, because once that door is sealed by the relic, it can never again be opened."

"If Soarlec could seal off that part of the Sacred Realm, why did he not do so when he first placed the Triforce of Knowledge there?" Link questioned.

"The goddesses did not want to lose all access to the triangle," Kaepora answered. "They thought that one day they might be able to use the Triforce of Knowledge to help their brother. The relic you must find will not actually seal the gate, but Ormek has destroyed the keys that allow passage to the secluded part of the realm. If you do return the Triforce of Knowledge to its rightful place, no one will ever be able to steal it again."

"Very well, then what is this ancient relic and by what means can it control the Triforce of Knowledge," Link asked, still a little confused.

"Soarlec knew that there may come a day when the Triforce of Knowledge may be stolen, so he left behind one of his talons and with his talon he also left an incantation. When the incantation is used on the Talon of Soarlec it will gain the power to extract Ormek's prize from him and send it back from whence it came.

"Be warned though, Link. The writings Ormek took form the Temple of Knowledge also told of the purpose and location of the Talon of Soarlec. Because of my interference, it is likely Ormek will be expecting you to go after the talon and will send his men after you.

"Now, I suppose its time for me depart and let you begin your journey, after all you have along way to travel in a short amount of time."

Kaepora began to flap his massive wings and was about to fly off, but Link had one last question for the great bird. "What should I do with Chiron?" he asked.

"Send him home," Kaepora answered, "You will face a long treacherous road before you reach your destination and I fear it is not a road Chiron is prepared to take." With that, the majestic owl raised high in the air and picked up Link and carried him to the base of the cliff. He then flew back to the top of the cliff and fetched Chiron.

"I'm sorry that I can't take you further," the bird said regretfully, "but I can not carry both of you at the same time, besides I lack the strength to carry someone of your stature great distances. I'm afraid you will have to travel the whole way on your own. If you head due south you should run into someone who can help you out of the desert." With that Kaepora Gaebora flew off into the night sky. Link decided it was to dangerous to travel at night due to the verioks constantly slithering beneath the desert sands, so he laid himself down next to Chiron and soon fell asleep.

* * *

When Link awoke the next morning he discovered his mouth was full of sand. He quickly spat it out and looked over at Chiron to find him still unconscious. Link placed his hand on his companion's shoulder and shook him fiercely. "Chiron, wake up," Link said loudly. Chiron's eyes opened slowly. His eyes then began to jerk around furiously surveying his surroundings. 

"Wha… What happened? Are we dead? Where are we?" Chiron was full of questions like these and was asking them too rapidly for Link to answer.

"Speak slower Chiron," Link said, "We are not dead we are perfectly fine, aside from the fact that we are in the middle of the desert with only enough water to last us a couple of days. Other than that we are in good shape." Chiron just blinked not knowing how to react to such an odd sense of humor.

"Yeah, well all I want to know is how we got away from that veriok," Chiron said as he turned to Link to see if he could shed any light on what happened.

"If I was to tell you how we got away, you most likely would not believe me, so do not press the matter." Link said. Nonetheless Chiron continued to inquire of Link as to what had happened. After a few minutes of constant pestering, Link finally gave in and told Chiron they had been saved by a giant owl.

Upon hearing Link's explanation Chiron turned to his companion and said, "I should never have doubted you. You were right, I don't believe you," he then burst out into laughter. Link simply sighed.

"We better move out before the sun gets to high," Link said. Chiron agreed, so the two started their long march headed due south. During their journey through the desert, Link told Chiron that Ormek had acquired a powerful weapon from the temple and that it would give him the last bit of power he needed to conquer Cyntir. He also told Chiron of Soarlec's Talon and how it had the power to confound Ormek's weapon. Link stopped his explanation of the situation there. He decided it was not imperative for Chiron to know all the details.

"Oh man," Chiron said fretfully after Link finished speaking. "We've got to stop him. Link you can count on me to go with you to the Blizzard Temple and retrieve Soarlec's Talon."

"Chiron…" Link said, not quite sure how to handle his companion's enthusiasm, "are you sure you are up for this. It will be no easy task to make it to the temple and besides I am sure your parents are worried sick about you. I think it would be best for you to head home as soon as we get out of this desert."

"No," Chiron protested, "General Ormek has been tormenting the people of my country for far too long. No one has ever dared stand up to him. It's about time someone did something about that guy. If I back down now when I know Ormek may soon be attacking my country, I'd never be able to live with myself.

"Are you really that determined to defeat Ormek?" Link asked. Chiron simply nodded. "Very well then," Link sighed, "you may accompany on my quest. Who knows, you may prove to be a great asset to me."

"Thank you," Chiron said, "I won't let you down.

From the base of the cliff from which Kaepora Gaebora had departed, Chiron and Link had not yet traveled ten miles to the south when off in the distance they saw concentration of many buildings. Each building varied from three to five stories tall.

The two companions were overjoyed to have found a settlement on the same day they began their journey. They were so relived that no thought of caution crossed their minds while approaching the towers.

The two were not one hundred feet from the nearest structure when they heard a loud voice call out, "Hey you two, stop right there." Both of the young men halted abruptly. On the top of one of the nearby towers, stood a young Gerudo, "Seize them," she called out. Link and Chiron were almost immediately surrounded by a group of Gerudo warriors. The two companions drew their swords, but dozens of Gerudo spears were already pointed at them.

Realizing the hopelessness of their situation Link dropped his sword in the sand and raised his hands above his head. He ordered Chiron to do the same. "Save your strength Chiron. We will gain nothing by fighting," he said Chiron reluctantly dropped his weapon as well.

As the two travelers were escorted to the towers, all Link could think about was the impending doom that would come if he failed in his mission and it appeared failure would be the outcome of his journey.


	9. Chapter Nine: Ormek's Betrayal

**Chapter Nine: Ormek's Betrayal**

The sun was high in the noon sky when Shriek arrived at Admiral Shrion's base on Kantash Island. His wings were greatly fatigued, as was Shriek. He had been flying as fast as he was able for more than a week. His flight over the water had proved to be an especially tiring ordeal. Had it not been for the Solino Islands scattered through out Karab Sea, Shriek would have never been able to make the journey form the tip of the Zora Peninsula in southwest Cyntir all the way to the Kantash Island.

Shriek's ability to fly that long of a distance even with the Solino Islands on which to rest was another thing that made him a remarkable creature in addition to his odd defense mechanism. Few other fairies in the world could have accomplished such a task, but Shriek had been delivering messages for Ormek for fourteen years and had become accustom to the cross-country flights.

Amazingly, the Cyntirians had never discovered the location of the Tyfirian naval base, even though it was quite large, mainly because the Cyntirians did not know to look for it so far south. Kantash was only fifty miles away from the northern Nicrosian shore, but no where near a Nicrosian port, so very few ships ever passed by.

The Tyfirian navy was one of the nation's greatest accomplishments, especially considering Tyfiria was a landlocked country. An exceedingly great effort was needed to get a ship in the ocean. Originally the Tyfirians would cut across the northeast corner of Cyntir, carrying with them all the supplies and tools needed to build and launch a ship. This method was quite effective at first, but the Cyntirian government soon found out about what their slaves had been doing and put an end to it, so they were forced to form a rougher less efficient way of doing things. They had to travel through the desolate northern mountains to the freezing ocean. The passage through the mountains was not an easy trip, in some cases it took months to get a single ship afloat. After the vessel was in the water, it still had to sail all the way around the Bylarian continent before it could be of any use to Tyfiria in the war against Cyntir.

This method was only used for a few years. After the base on Kantash Island was established, the construction of the ships was done using resources of the Solino Islands. Eventually, after years of building, the Tyfirians succeeded in creating a larger navy than that of the Cyntirians, but the Tyfirians kept this a secret and regarded the navy as their trump card. Because the Cyntirians did not know of the massive Tyfirian fleet they felt no need to build up their own. It was one of the reasons that General Ormek felt that victory was near and it was Shriek's job to notify Admiral Shrion, the head of the Tyfirian navy, that it was time to mobilize every ship in the fleet.

Shriek felt greatly relived when he arrived at the naval base. Compared to the military bases of the Tyfirians, the naval base was a paradise. Instead of living in mobile tents like the army used, naval personnel slept in furnished cabins on Kantash when they were not on their ships. They also had beds to sleep in, where as in the army, men slept on the hard ground.

Shriek would have loved to bask in the warm tropical sun, but he had duties. Instead he headed directly to the Shrion's headquarters. Admiral Shrion was a strange one to serve in the Tyfirian navy for more than reason. First of all, he was not a Hylian, but a Zora. Even more bizarre, was the fact that Shrion was not a Tyfirian by birth, but a Cyntirian from the Zora Peninsula. Still, he was odd for a Zora. While most Zoras did not wear much, if any clothing, Shrion dressed in the standard blue and grey Tyfirian garb. He also wore bronze ornamental shoulder plating to indicate his rank.

"Ah, if it isn't our beloved general's messenger," Shrion said as he saw Shriek swiftly flying towards him. "Tell me Shriek, what orders does Ormek have for me today?"

"The orders you have been waiting for ever since you were sent out here," Shriek answered.

"I am to set up the blockade then?" Shrion asked. Shriek simply let out a high pitched squeal. "So I take it Ormek found what he was looking for?"

"That's right," Shriek said, "and he'll be ready to start his assault soon."

"It better be soon," Shrion said, "our blockade will block the strait of Cyntir. By obstructing the strait we may anger the Nicrosians, the last thing we need is to have them get involved.

"True, but we'll be ready if they do," Shriek grumbled.

"Tell Ormek the blockade has been set up," Shrion said, "I'll give the order immediately to begin its formation. You may go." Although Shriek had been dismissed he did not fly off. "Is there something else you need to tell me?" Shrion inquired.

"Yes sir," Shriek replied, "Ormek has some additional orders for you."

"What orders might those be?" Shrion asked.

"Ormek wants you to take five ships and your best men to the Frozen Fortress. Be on the look out for any trespassers. If you find any, don't ask any questions just destroy them.

"What? Why?" Shrion hollered, "There is nothing out by the Frozen Fortress save a few ice monsters. What possible use could Ormek have for me there?"

"This is a mission of great importance Shrion," Shriek said, "Unless you want Ormek's wrath directed towards you, I suggest you follow his orders."

"I will do as the general commands," Shrion said as he calmed down.

"Good, I will let Ormek know all is in order," Shriek replied, "I shall leave soon, but first I shall take leave from my duties. My journey has been a tiring one."

Shrion nodded and sped off to begin the formation of the blockade.

Shriek rested on Kantash for a few days before he returned to Tyfiria Castle. He took his time on his trip back. With the urgency of his mission gone, there was no need for Shriek to return with haste. He took twice as long getting back to Tyfiria as he took to get to Kantash. As soon as Shriek arrived at the castle he flew directly to Ormek's laboratory.

Ever since Ormek had obtained the Triforce of Knowledge he had been spending all his time in his lab, developing new weapons and battle strategies. Once he created prototypes of weapons he would send them to various blacksmiths to begin the mass production of his creations.

Ever since Ormek returned to the castle, Syrus noticed drastic changes taking place in the general. Ormek no longer confided in him. He also ignored King Talrid when he summoned him. He acted as if though he was above the king. Ormek was also shirking his duties as the commander-in-chief of Tyfiria. He had not given any orders to his troops since the formation of the blockade; all Ormek did was make sure his men did not attack Cyntir.

These changes all worried Syrus, but none troubled him more than the feeling of evil he got occasionally when he was around Ormek. Syrus had never before doubted that Ormek had been seeking Tyfiria's best interests, until he stole the Triforce of Knowledge. Now Syrus was uncertain of what was really driving him. Was it a love for his country and a desire to help his people, or did he have his own secret agenda, using his new power to fulfill his own destructive ambitions?

"You are late returning," Ormek said as soon as he was aware that Shriek was present. "You should have been back a week ago. Tell me, my ever-loyal minion, what is it that kept you?"

"I was tired from the journey," Shriek answered, "It's a long way from here to Kantash, so I decided to relax there for a little while."

"Nonetheless, you were to return as soon as your message was delivered. I did not give you leave of your duties." Ormek said angrily.

"I apologize," Shriek said, "but I did not see any reason why I should return haste."

"That is why I give the orders," Ormek said approaching the black fairy, cornering him against the wall, "I posses the foresight that you so dearly lack." At this point Ormek was ready to knock the fairy out of the air, but Syrus walked in first.

"General," Syrus said, "I have the report on the current status of our troops. Would you like to see it sir?" Ormek held out his hand and took the report from Syrus. He quickly flipped through it and shook his head as he read.

"These numbers are unacceptable," Ormek said, "We still do not have enough men for the invasion. We will have to implement a conscription of civilians if we are to have any hope of defeating our enemies."

"But do you think Talrid will allow that?" Syrus asked, "He already thinks we're using too many of our resources as it is."

"Whether he decides to support it or no, it will be done," Ormek said, once again demonstrating that he believed he was all-powerful. At that very moment a member of Talrid's royal guard stormed into the room.

"General, the king demands your presence," the guard said in a stern voice.

"Tell him I am far to busy at the moment," Ormek said in a half-joking manner, "I will seek him in out in my own due time."

"Did you not hear me the first time?" the guard said, growing more impatient, "The king demands your presence. He will not allow you to ignore another of his summons." After the guard had finished speaking three more guards entered the room with their swords drawn. Ormek simply laughed at this. He knew he could easily defeat the guards, but he decided no to.

He turned to Syrus and said, "Maybe there is a better way to increase our numbers." Ormek then turned to the guards and told the captain to lead on. The guards sheathed their weapons and led Ormek to Talrid's audience chamber. Though neither Syrus nor Shriek had been summoned, both followed closely behind Ormek. Once they had come to their destination Ormek walked up to the King's throne and knelt on one knee and bowed his head. Ormek kept his stance while Talrid looked upon him with out saying a word. After more than a solid minute of this uncertain quiet, Ormek finally lifted up his head and spoke.

"Did you want to speak with me sire, or did you just forget what I looked like?" he asked sarcastically.

"I have nearly forgotten," said Talrid. "You have not come before in quite some time, not even when I called for you. Why have you ignored me?"

"I have been preparing plans to take the strait of Cyntir," Ormek answered, "but you were already aware of that. You have not called me here find out what I have been doing. You merely wish to inform me that my allotted time of one month to make considerable advances towards capturing the strait is over. So, why do we not skip the small talk and get down to business."

"Very well," replied the king. "Due to your failure to report to me before the end of the month, I take it that you have not been able to move the work along. Therefore I have decided to pull our troops out of Cyntir, accept the offer of the Zora Peninsula, and put an end to this pointless skirmish between Tyfiria and Cyntir."

"I will not allow you to remove my troops from their posts," Ormek said, "For you are incorrect in assuming I have made no progress. In fact, I have something to show you that may change your whole outlook on this war." Ormek clenched his fist and suddenly the symbol of the Triforce appeared on the back of his right hand.

"You have obtained a piece of the legendary Triforce of Hyrule!" the king said in astonishment.

"Not exactly," Ormek said as he smiled. "But with this ancient relic at our disposal, we will be unstoppable. Give me another month and I will not only win the strait, but the whole of Cyntir."

"No," Talrid said, "We shall not continue this conquest, besides I made a promise to the Cyntirian people that I would not let the campaign go further than the strait."

"It was a promise far more gracious than those barbarians deserved!" Ormek said sternly. He then turned from the face of Talrid and began to look into the eyes of each the royal guards, but he still continued to speak to his king. "By the sweat and toil of our people was Cyntir transformed from a worthless farming nation into what it is today. Why then should those slothful Cyntirians enjoy the fruits of out labor? I tell you, it is a great injustice. And even though we are now free, we are exiled to the barren mountain lands of the north while our former captors hold lands full of rich fertile soil and dozens of prosperous seaports. It is only right that we should have what our fathers and we ourselves so dearly paid for. It is time for us to become the masters of this continent and it is time for the Cyntirians to know what it is like to be a slave.

"You are mad!" Talrid cried, seeing for the first time what Ormek's plans truly were. Syrus was also shocked by what the general said.

"Don't you see Ormek? If we were to bring the realm of Cyntir under our rule we would become what we hated most when we were slaves."

"Are we not justified?" Ormek asked with a soothing voice and turned back towards Talrid. "Our people were slaves for dozens of generations. Why should we know the horrors of being slaves while those southern beasts sit on their golden thrones and enjoy the works of others?

"Besides, the Cyntirians remain a constant threat to us. Though they attempt to hide it from their allies, the Cyntirians still hate us. To them we are a symbol of their failure that must be destroyed. They are biding their time, Talrid. They are waiting for their chance to destroy us. Currently they do not posses the strength to conquer us, but that will not last forever. With our barren land and lack of resources our society will soon crumble, while theirs continues to prosper. Our country will fall apart and when that happens, the Cyntirians will strike and enslave us again."

To Talrid's own surprise, he found the words of Ormek to be reasonable and for brief moment he considered going along with the plan, but in the end he listened to his best judgment and stuck by his original position on the matter.

"No," he said, "nothing you say could justify enslaving an entire nation. I have long suspected the Cyntirians would eventually come after us, but your plan is simply not acceptable. I will not allow you to pursue your foolish ambitions."

Ormek shook his head with a sigh and said, "I feared you would not listen to reason, but I also expected it." Ormek drew one of his swords and pointed it towards the king. "You will help me one way or another."

"Guards, subdue the general!" Talrid cried out, and though there were a dozen guards in the room none moved save three of them, but those that did move all rushed at Ormek with long spears. Ormek chopped off the tip of the first spear with his sword, he then quickly sidestepped narrowly dodging the second spear. He then grabbed a hold of the shaft of the second spear with his left hand, and with his sword still in his right, he smacked the guard in the head with his clenched fist, knocking him out cold. Ormek then threw the spear across the room to Syrus, who could not believe that Ormek was actually threatening the king. Ormek then kicked the first guard firmly in his abdomen. The guard dropped to the ground and was unable to get up. The third guard never had a chance to attack Ormek, for Shriek had taken him down with a concentrated sonic blast.

Talrid called for the guards to attack again, but few stirred, and those that did move were torn between attacking, staying put, or running from the room all together. For there had not been one man in that chamber, who heard Ormek speak, that was not shaken by his words. Most of the men agreed with Ormek and wanted to help him. Only the three who tried to attack Ormek had not forgotten their loyalty to the king.

Ormek turned to the guards and looked into the eyes of every one of them, as if he were looking into their very souls he said, "I take it then that you wish to aid me? Then prove it, by taking the king and his three loyal companions to the dungeons." The king's own guards swiftly surrounded him and bound his hands with ropes and began to take him and his three loyalists from the room, but Ormek stopped them before they left.

"Do not worry," said Ormek sheathing his sword, "I have no desire of taking your place as king. You shall be restored to your proper place once the war is over and you begin to see things my way." It was at this moment that Talrid realized that though he held the title of king, Ormek had long been the true ruler of the country.

"What have you done, you lunatic?" Syrus cried when all of the guards had left except one. "Do you actually think you can get away with imprisoning the king? The people will notice sooner or later that he's gone missing!"

"This is working out even better than I had hoped," Ormek said paying no heed to the ranting of Syrus. "Instead of imposing a draft we can stir the hearts of the people to war. They will aid the effort willingly." Ormek then walked to Talrid's throne and picked up a grey robe that the King had lost in the struggle with the guards as well as his crown.

"And how do you plan to do that?" asked Syrus.

"Niromin," Ormek called to the last remaining guard. Not all of the king's guards had switched allegiances during Ormek's speech. For some all ready were working for Ormek secretly by keeping an eye on the king for him and Niromin was one of those guards. "Go to my personal armory," Ormek said, "find a bow and a Cyntirian arrow." Ormek then handed him the cloak, "Then take this robe and place it on a cow that is fit to eat. Kill the cow using the arrow, but make sure it penetrates the robe in the area that would be placed over the heart. Take the cow to the butcher, but bring the robe and the arrow back to me."

Niromin saluted Ormek and eagerly hurried off to complete his task. Ormek then slowly approached the recently vacated throne and gently placed the king's silver crown on it. He then knelt on one knee and covered his heart with his right hand. "By the crown of Tyfiria I here by vow, that all of Cyntir will soon come under its rule," Ormek said softly.

"All right Ormek," Syrus said, "It's time for you to come clean. What was that talk about enslaving the Cyntirians? That wasn't the plan."

"The plans have changed," Ormek growled. "The Triforce of Knowledge has opened my eyes. I see now that if we were to merely exile the Cyntirians, they may regroup and come back with their allies. Syrus was satisfied with this answer, it seemed to be logical, but Ormek's treachery still seemed ludicrous.

"Now tell me, exactly what you are planning to do with that robe and arrow?" Syrus demanded.

"You shall see for yourself when I announce the king's forfeiture of the throne," Ormek replied. "Now, Shriek, Syrus, I want the two of you to find Talrid's heralds. Tell them to go out into the city and call the people to castle proclamation tower. I shall make my edict in one hour, be sure that as many people as possible of the surrounding populous are there." Syrus saluted Ormek and left the hall without further questioning, though secretly he wondered if some evil spirit had possessed Ormek.

An hour to the very minute that Ormek sent Syrus away, the general walked out onto the balcony of the proclamation tower. The base of the tower was surrounded by thousands of Tyfirians, all of whom had come to hear Ormek's pressing news. There was a great commotion about the people, rumors had already started on what Ormek was going to speak about, but none of them came close to the truth. Upon seeing Ormek on the balcony, the crowd suddenly fell silent.

Ormek cleared his throat and with a loud authoritative voice he cried, "People of Tyfiria, I have come before you today with the most grievous of news. Our righteous monarch, King Talrid, who led us out of the captivity of Cyntir, who established the great nation of Tyfiria, was attacked by his enemies earlier today." Upon hearing this many of the people gasped in unison and some cried out in anguish, then the multitude was enveloped in a great clamor of the people talking amongst themselves.

Ormek raised his hands above his head and the people fell silent again. "Yes it is true," Ormek said as he placed his hands on the railing around the balcony and bowed his head as though he was weeping. Ormek slowly lifted up his head after a few seconds and continued speaking. "This morning, while the king was in his throne room, his enemies some how got in and ambushed him."

Ormek then cast out the king's blood stained robe and the arrow into the crowd. The crowd gasped.

"The king is dead!" a man cried out as he fell to his knees.

An old man then picked up the arrow and garment and examined them carefully. "This arrow is of the loathsome Cyntirian craft! I'd bet my life on it!" the old man yelled.

"Oh it can't be!" wailed a woman who clung to the king's robe.

The people began to cry out again, but Ormek swiftly silenced them. "The Cyntirians will pay for the fall of our beloved king." He cried with such great emotion that even those who knew the king was not truly dead were compelled to believe that his death should be avenged.

"Long have our people been oppressed by the wicked Cyntirians," he continued, "They have enslaved us, tortured us, and slaughtered our loved ones. Even now, as we are free, we are forced to live in the most barren of lands. Now is the time to bring the Cyntirians to justice once and for all. But our armed forces are not yet strong enough to accomplish such a task. That is why I must call to all able bodied Tyfirian men to take up arms against our enemies. If any man does not have good reason to stay behind and not fight, he shall be known as a coward not fit to eat cattle droppings." The Tyfirian people cheered and applauded Ormek's comment, but one man in the midst of the crowd called out at the top of his lungs until the cheering died down.

"If Talrid is now dead, who then takes his place as king then?" the man shouted out.

Ormek took in a deep breath and said, "I shall take his place temporarily, until the war is over. As you know Talrid had no heir, therefore an elected council of common folk shall be created to name Talrid's successor. Now then my friends, I must go, for there is much I must see to before the beginning of our campaign." With that, Ormek turned and sped back towards his quarters. On his way down from the tower Ormek spotted Syrus.

"How could you lie to our people like that?" Syrus asked stunned.

"I did not lie," Ormek contested, "I never actually said the king was dead, nor did I say the Cyntirians were the king's attackers. The people arrived at those conclusions on their own." Ormek then continued on his way down from the tower, but Syrus grabbed him by the arm before he got too far.

"This isn't going to work," Syrus said sternly.

Ormek suddenly seized Syrus's hand and twisted it back, forcing the colonel to relinquish his grasp. Ormek looked coldly at his servant and said, "Mark my words, before the end of the next month, Cyntir will be utterly destroyed.


	10. Chapter Ten: Attack of the Sarudon

Chapter Ten: Attack of the Sarudon

Link slowly opened his eyes as the first rays of the sun's morning light came pouring in to his cell. He and Chiron had been trapped in the gerudo towers for two days over a month. Link was beginning to lose all hope, he had already lost a whole month and he had not even found his way out of the desert. Link was not aware of the blockade that had been set up by the Tyfirian navy, Ormek's coup d'état which had given him complete control of the country, or the first Tyfirian troops mobilizing in the north, but he could sense that things were not going well. Each day that Link remained in captivity, his hope diminished a little more. Nonetheless he would not give into despair just yet. He had to stay strong, at least until he could find a way to escape.

Link wearily turned his head to the right, there he saw Chiron who was being kept in the cell right next to his. Tears were streaming down his cheek and his head hung down sickly. The captivity had been especially hard on Chiron, for he was very worried about his family and he longed to return home. He had almost forgotten the quest he had vowed to help Link complete.

Link could not bear to talk to Chiron in his current state. He felt guilty for putting him in such a situation. Thus, the longer they were incarcerated in the gerudo prison; the more silent the two became.

Link and Chiron were simply sitting on the floors of their cells when they heard the loud, yet feminine voice of a gerudo. "Chiron! Chiron is that you?" the gerudo said. Chiron jerked his head up and he smiled for the first time in over a month.

This particular gerudo was not dressed like the others that were around the towers; she wore a cloak made of silk and was dressed in dark orange as opposed to the standard white of the gerudo that lived near the Cyntir-Tyfirian border. She also wore her hair longer than the other gerudo and carried with her two short scimitars, which were both attached a belt that she wore about her waist.

"Vialla, what are you doing here?" Chiron asked the gerudo ecstatically.

"That was the question I was going to ask of you," Vialla said.

"I'm mainly here because of this guy," Chiron said in a half-joking manner as he turned his head to look at Link.

"And who might you be, young traveler?" Vialla asked of Link.

"I am Link, I am an employment scout for a band of Calrigan mercenaries," Link said with no hint of emotion in his voice.

Vialla briskly looked at her surroundings and then turned her gaze back to Link, "Strange place for an employment scout," she said, "especially considering the gerudo of Bylar would never accept help from men. Why are you interested in them anyway?"

"I am not even supposed to be in this country," Link explained, "I was on my way to Nicrosia when my ship was sacked by Tyfirians. I would tell you how the two of us got here now, but it is a rather lengthy tale."

Vialla shook her head and said, "Those Tyfirians have to ruin everything!" she paused for a second and then gasped. "I'm sorry, I didn't properly introduce myself. I am Vialla of the gerudo tribe. But don't think me like my sisters. I have given up the thieving way of the traditional gerudo. I do not believe that stealing from others is any way to make a living."

"Vialla," Chiron interjected, for he had already heard Vialla explain how she was different than the other gerudo many times before. "Do you think you could speak with the head gerudo here and see if you can get us released?"

"Oh, yes, of course. I'd imagine you are very anxious to get out of here," said Vialla. She then smiled at Chiron and hurried out of the room.

"If she fails to get us out," Link thought to himself, "I fear General Ormek will succeed in his accomplishing his designs. It may already be too late as it is. Vain was Kaepora's trust in me."

"Don't worry Link, Vialla will get us out of here. She has a way with people," Chiron said trying to cheer up his companion, he could sense Link was feeling low.

Link and Chiron both anxiously awaited the return of Vialla, but the longer they waited the slower time seemed to pass. Vialla did not come back until after dark, but her arrival was well worth the wait. She had been successful in her attempt to secure the young prisoners' freedom. She returned with two keys and the equipment they had with them when they were captured. She unlocked both of the cells and helped Chiron and Link out. They stretched for what seemed to them was the first time in an eternity.

"I can't possibly thank you enough for freeing us!" Chiron said.

Vialla laughed, "Well then I can't wait to see how you thank me when I tell you you'll being spending the night in a nice warm bed, courtesy of the gerudo thieves."

"No, we can not stay!" Link protested, "I have already wasted too much time in this blasted wasteland. I will not wait any longer!"

"Link have you forgotten about the verioks?" Chiron asked trying to calm down the mercenary. "We can't head out until the sun rises. Besides, we'll need the rest. I don't know about you, but I haven't had a good night's rest since we came to this awful place."

"All right fine," said Link, "we will wait until the break of dawn tomorrow, then I am heading out."

Vialla then led the two young men to separate rooms. Once Chiron arrived at his room he collapsed on his bed and almost immediately fell asleep. Link on the other hand had a tough time falling asleep. He could not get his mind off leaving. Eventually he did manage to find sleep, but it was only for about two hours and Link only felt worse when he awoke. Link decided to head out early so he packed up all his equipment and started to leave the towers. He would have set out on his own had he not ran into Vialla on his way out. She was eager herself, but for different reasons.

"Where are you headed off to, Link?" Vialla asked.

"I can wait here no longer. I must go now," Link snapped.

"Suit yourself," Vialla said, "I was planning to go with you and Chiron in the morning, I had even borrowed a few horses from my sisters that you two could ride, but if you simply can't wait for me to prepare them, I'll understand."

"You have horses?" Link asked excitedly. Vialla confirmed that she did and Link said, "In that case, I guess I could stand to wait a bit longer."

"So where is Chiron anyway?" Vialla inquired.

"He is still asleep," Link answered.

"You weren't going to take him with you?" asked Vialla.

"We do not share the same path," Link responded, "Furthermore, I did not have the heart to wake him. He has been going through a lot lately, I figured the least I could do is let him sleep."

"We can let him sleep a bit longer, come now Link, let's get the horses ready," Vialla said.

Vialla and Link had just finished saddling and feeding the horses when the first rays of the sun crept over the eastern horizon. Chiron found his way out to the stables a short time later. He, being a rancher, was used to waking with the dawn. As soon as Chiron arrived the three companions mounted their horses and ventured out into the desert, heading southeast.

"You owe me big time, Chiron," Vialla said as the gerudo towers began to disappear out of their range of vision.

"That reminds me," said Chiron, "how exactly did you get the gerudo to let us go?"

"All I had to do was promise them a good discount on all of my merchandise," Vialla replied, "Oh and by the way, I except to be well compensated for my sacrifice."

"What were you doing at the towers anyway?" Link asked, for he was quite confused what exactly Vialla's profession was and how she knew Chiron.

"Well you see, I'm a type of traveling merchant," Vialla answered, "My partner and I travel all over the world finding the rarest priceless treasures the world has to offer, we then wander the globe searching for someone to buy our hoard at top dollar. But I digress; I was not in the desert on business this time. Occasionally I like to return home and visit my sisters at the gerudo towers. So when my ship landed on the coast of Cyntir I decided to pay my sisters a little visit."

"You have a ship?" Link asked ecstatically.

"Well the ship actually belongs to my partner," Vialla answered.

"Where is Balris anyway?" inquired Chiron.

"Never mind that," Link interrupted, "I am in great need of a ship, If you were aid me in my quest, I am sure my legion of mercenaries would gladly compensate you for your troubles."

"Really," said Vialla, "All right, If you follow me to East Port Town, I'm sure I could help you out. Where was it you said you needed to go?"

"The Frozen Fortress," Link replied, "It is not far from East Port Town from what Chiron tells me, It should not be too much trouble for you."

Vialla gave Link an inquisitive look, "What reason do you have for going there?" she asked.

"That business is my own," Link said. Vialla did not question Link any further, though she was very suspicious of him from that time forth. "You never did tell me how you know Vialla," Link said to Chiron."

"When Vialla first decided to turn away from a life of thievery, she left the desert with nowhere to go," Chiron answered. "Eventually she found her way to our ranch. My parents took her in and gave her a place to stay until she got back on her feet. She's been a friend to the family ever since."

Link then lost interest in the conversation, but Chiron and Vialla continued to speak one with another. The three of them rode well into the day, resting only a few times and only for a short while. They did not stop until the sun began to set. Once they halted they built a small fire to keep the verioks away, using kindling they had brought from the gerudo settlement.

When the sun arose the next morning the three were off again. After traveling for about three hours the group finally came out of the desert into dry grassland. As they continued to ride the grass slowly became greener and thicker. The three companions continued to travel through the plains for two more days, only stopping to rest for a few hours during the night to eat and rest. Vialla occasionally complained about their pace, but then Link would remind her of the money she would receive if she went along with him and she would stop griping.

Early in the morning of the companions' fourth day of travel, Link noticed a group of horsemen headed towards them. They were approaching swiftly on the group's left side. Link felt uneasy about the approaching horses, as if he could sense that the horsemen were up to no good.

"We must change our course," Link said calmly. When asked why by Chiron and Vialla he yelled, "Just follow my lead." Link changed directions from southeast to southwest, so that his horse was running in the same direction as the horses in the distance. The others followed with out further question. The band did not ride much further before they saw a second group horsemen coming in from the east. Link changed his direction again, heading due south. Unfortunately at this point, Link's horse and the horses of Chiron and Vialla were beginning to fade, while the horses of their pursuers remained strong.

"No," said Link, pulling back on the reigns and bringing his horse to a stop. "We have been surrounded, but how did they know we were here?"

"Who are they and why are you trying to avoid them?" Inquired Vialla.

"Never mind," answered Link, as he feverishly studied his surroundings. "Off to his right he noticed a dirt road. The road seemed to suddenly drop off about three hundred feet from its starting point. "That way!" exclaimed Link as his horse began running for the road.

To the right side of the road there was an old sign which read:

DANGER! NOW ENTERING SARUDON CANYON!

BEWARE OF AVALANCHES AND SARUDONS!

"We can't go that way," pleaded Vialla, "We'll be trapped!"

"Trust me Vialla, I know what I'm doing," said Link. He darted into the canyon, but Vialla did not budge.

"Trust you?" Vialla objected, "I barely know you,"

"Just do what he says," cried Chiron as he raced into the canyon after Link. Vialla stared down into the canyon anxiously for a moment before she reluctantly followed after her friend. She did not know who was chasing her, but she did not want to be the only one to get captured.

As the three companions rode further down the path the walls of the canyon slowly rose until they were two hundred feet high. The walls were incredibly steep rising almost directly up making it impossible to climb out of the side of the canyon unless aided by someone standing on the top of the canyon wall. Had it not been for the many caves at the base of the canyon, its walls would have almost been completely flawless. Luckily for the three fugitives though, there were indeed many caves, each one digging deeper into the base of the canyon than the last.

"In here!" Chiron called out pointing to a random cave that was quite far from the canyon entrance.

"I suppose that one is as good as any of the others," said Link as he followed Chiron into the darkness of the cave. Vialla simply sighed and followed after them. The three compatriots delved deep into the cave moving rather slowly, for they had no light to guide them or reveal any unexpected hazards, and their horses were quite reluctant to venture into the foul smelling cavern. And though they could have lit a torch they did not, in fear of being spotted and captured. Thus they clung close to the walls of the cave and used them to get around.

They did not get very far before the first pursuer rode into the canyon. He was followed closely by two others, who were joined shortly after by nearly two dozen more. Each of the men was clad in blue and grey and leading these men was none other than Major Lucrus.

"It appears we've been thrown of the trail of our prey," Lucrus belted, addressing his troops, "Due to the stony canyon floor we can find no tracks. We do not know whether they have ridden deeper into the canyon or taken refuge in one of the caves. We must find these fugitives even if means searching every last cave in this canyon. Split up into groups of five, my patrol shall block off the canyon entrance and guard the horses whilst another rides to the other end of the canyon. The remaining three patrols will begin searching the caverns immediately, now get to it!"

The Tyfirians quickly dismounted, except for the group that rode to the other end of the canyon. They divided up and began searching. "Sir, are you certain that these are the escapees we're looking for?" inquired a soldier of his commanding officer. "These two men have not been seen in a month, surely they would have already passed through here. Besides, we are looking for two men, but there were clearly three riders who came in here."

"Simple minded fool," Lucrus snapped, "There are many things that could have delayed them this long and they easily could have acquired another companion. Regardless they were clearly trying to out-maneuver us. I am sure who ever these people are, they are running from someone, and it will be up to us to find out what. Whatever it is I'd like to know. Now cease questioning my orders, lest I feed you to the Sarudons." The soldier did not speak again.

Several hours later the group that rode to the end of the canyon returned as the sun began to fall low in the sky. "We did not find any trace of our little friends," said one of the horsemen. "They are indeed still in the canyon, unless they somehow managed to make it to the Shadow Woods in which case they are doomed anyway."

"Very good," said Major Lucrus, "These fools will be in our custody by tomorrow morning."

Meanwhile in the depths of the caves, Link, Chiron, and Vialla had settled down. They had determined it would be of no avail to them to travel any farther into the cave. If their hunters were willing to venture as far into the cavern as the three fugitives had already traveled, undoubtedly they would search the whole of the cave.

"Who were those men and why do you think they're after you?" asked Vialla.

"Shhhhh," whispered Link, "It is still to risky to be talking. I will explain it all to you once we are out of here."

"No," said Vialla, "You will tell me what's going on now, or else I'll turn both of you in."

"Fine, fine," Link said quietly, "Just keep it down." Vialla agreed and Link commenced to explain that he and Chiron were running from the Tyfirians and that they knew at least a portion of their secret plans to conquer Cyntir. Link went on to explain that General Ormek was responsible for all of this, he also explained he was the only one who knew how to stop the general. He did not go into further detail at the time, for he did not feel safe explaining his situation in depth. Fortunately Vialla had heard enough, she felt contempt for the moment, she was at least satisfied with the explanation enough for her to know that she must keep Link and Chiron hidden.

Vialla ceased to question Link and did not speak any more, and so the three refugees did not speak to each other in fear that their voices would give away their position. The group sat in the dark remaining silent and motionless for hours upon end, too afraid to sleep, they all anxiously waited and hoped they would not be discovered. The anticipation of their imminent detection by the Tyfirians was so great, that Vialla and Chiron almost felt relived when they heard the first sounds of approaching footsteps. Their relief was quickly replaced by terror as Link rose to his feet and drew his sword and shield. Chiron and Vialla rose and drew their weapons as well. Vialla wielded her two gerudo scimitars, which was a common choice of weaponry among gerudo of great skill.

A dim orange light began fill the cave and as the light grew brighter, the footsteps became louder and the three companions grew tenser. As the Tyfirians were about turn the last corner in the cave and locate their prey they suddenly halted their march. The sound of footsteps ceased and silence once again prevailed in the cavern.

The silence was short lived though; it was suddenly broken by a "twang". Link instinctively held up his shield, just in time to block a blue feathered Tyfirian arrow. Two Tyfirian archers then turned the corner and began firing arrows at the three fugitives, but due to the inadequate light they were unable to find their marks. Vialla decided to turn and run at this point, Chiron followed shortly after, Link followed as well even though he did not think traveling further into the cave would work to his advantage. Especially considering he had to leave the horses behind along with most of the group's supplies in order to catch up with Vialla and Chiron.

"They are here, send for reinforcements!" cried one of the archers before he chased after Link and his companions. Two of the Tyfirians dashed out of the cave to alert the rest of the troops to their find. The remaining three Tyfirians pursued their targets further into the cave, firing arrows whenever they thought they had a clear shot. Luckily for Link and his group they were in a particularly windy cave. This prevented the Tyfirians from getting off any clear shots. However, the curving of the cave walls did not last. The path came to a long stretch of flat ground one hundred and fifty yards long. In the middle of this path there was what seemed to be a large boulder standing in one of the narrowest parts of the cave, it blocked the way and prevented anyone from continuing further into the cave.

"We have no choice but to turn and fight," Link said authoritatively, not showing any sign of fear. He was tired of running and was very eager to do battle. The three runners all turned to face away from the boulder and readied themselves for coming onslaught. Link sheathed his sword and drew his trusty bow and strung it with an arrow, he waited for the light of the Tyfirians' torch to take aim. As soon as the first Tyfirian popped around the corner, Link let his arrow fly. The soldier was struck just above his heart. He fell back and released his hold on an arrow that he was ready to fire. The arrow flew high and fell behind Chiron and struck the boulder.

The boulder then began to stir. It seemed to be breaking apart at first. The next two Tyfirians had arrived by this point, but they did not stay long, as soon as they saw the boulder, they spun around and ran. It was clear to Link by this time that it was not a boulder that was moving, but rather a large lizard that had been curled up and napping.

The lizard's skin was leathery and black. It was twelve feet long from its head to the tip of its tail. It was four feet high when standing on all fours. On its back were five large spines, which could fold back to form a protective shield. The spines could also stand up, adding another foot to the lizard's height. Many hard scales grew out of its skull, which caused the lizard look as if it was wearing a helmet.

Chiron and Vialla followed after the Tyfirians, fearing the large beast more than the might of their hunters. Link was more hesitant to leave, he ran to the passage that would allow him to flee and stopped, he studied the creature for a second, but then ran like the others when it began to charge.

"What was that?" asked Link when he caught up to the others.

"I'm not absolutely sure," said Vialla, "but I think it is safe to assume it's one of the legendary sarudons."

The sarudon was very fast considering its short legs. It was able to keep right behind Link, snapping at him whenever it got close. Link, Chiron, and Vialla made it out of the cave and felt the cool night air on their faces, but they were shocked to find nine Tyfirians surrounding the cave entrance waiting for their prey to emerge. A rain of arrows was fired immediately after the three could be seen. Three of the arrows flew past them and bounced of the sarudon's thick hide, but one of the arrows struck Vialla in the shoulder. She howled in pain, and fell back, Chiron caught her and the two of them fell to the ground. The sarudon was angered greatly by the Tyfirians' projectiles, though the sarudon was not harmed. It extended the spines on its back and opened its mouth wide. The spines began to glow with an eerie red light as the sarudon lifted its head up as if it were looking to the sky. It then brought its head back down and roared loudly, it then spat out a powerful gust of wind. Link dropped to the ground just in time to dodge the sarudon's blow. All of the Tyfirians were knocked to the ground by the attack and those mounted on horses were thrown off.

Chiron picked up Vialla and carrying her on his back, he began to head for the canyon entrance, but the sarudon was to quick, it cut Chiron off before he could escape. The sarudon opened its mouth and prepared for another blast, but Link shot an arrow down its throat before it could muster another gust.

Chiron turned and ran away from the sarudon and headed deeper into the canyon with Link following after. By this time the Tyfirians had recovered, at first they were all enveloped in panic, but Lucrus was able to rally them. He ordered them to go deeper in to the canyon and his men did so in haste. No Tyfirian horse was left. They had all been either killed by the sarudon or had fled from the canyon.

The Tyfirians slowly began to close in on Link and Chiron, but they were too worried about the sarudon to be concerned much with them. The Sarudon speedily grew tired of the chase and let lose another blast. The blast knocked Lucrus into the canyon wall and left him temporarily incapacitated. The sarudon ignored him and continued to chase the rest of the Tyfirians.

Chiron felt an extra burst of energy as he heard the sound of the sarudon's second blast, he knew the next gust would not miss its mark. Chiron slowly began to pull away from the Tyfirians, even with Vialla's additional weight. Link was right on Chiron's heels, for he could have already left the Tyfirians in the dust, but he did not want to leave his companions behind. The sarudon was beginning to lag behind at this point. It had already used up most of its energy. The sarudon stopped again to charge for another blast, thinking that if it did not catch the invaders now it would lose them and allow them to return later. The sarudon prepared for one extra powerful blast. It took a few seconds longer, but the blow was ten times as strong as the first two. The burst was aimed high; it slammed right into the canyon wall, causing it shatter and splinter in many places. The wall then collapsed on itself, causing a massive avalanche. The rocks fell upon and crushed every single Tyfirian. Luckily for Chiron and Link they had both been far enough ahead to avoid getting smashed.

Upon seeing its enemies destroyed the Sarudon went back to look for Lucrus, but he was nowhere to be found. The major had gathered enough strength to crawl into one of the caves. The sarudon soon gave up its search and returned to its cave, dragging back a few horse carcasses with it to use for food.

"Well," Link sighed upon realizing how disastrous the avalanche had been. It completely blocked off the canyon. The rocks were piled high and were too unstable to risk climbing over them. "It looks like we are not going back the way we came in. How is Vialla?"

"She's still alive," Chiron said, laying Vialla on the ground, "but the wound is deep. She has lost a lot of blood already. I don't think she'll make it if we don't do something to stop the bleeding."

Link knelt beside Vialla and he examined her wound while he removed a knife from his belt. Link, carefully dug through the muscle with the blade and removed the arrowhead. Link then pulled out a bottle from behind his shield and pulled the cork, He poured a red liquid from the bottle onto Vialla's wound and then some into her mouth. Link then tore up Vialla's cloak into strips and used them to bandage the lesion. The cloth quickly sopped up the blood and slowed the bleeding. A few minutes later, Vialla slowly came to and sat up.

"How are you feeling?" asked Link.

"Like I just got stung by a bee as large as a goron," she said rubbing her shoulder, "but I'll be all right."

"Good," said Link, "now we can focus on getting out of here. Tell me Chiron, is there another way out or is this a box canyon."

"It might as well be," Chiron groaned, "The only other way out of here is through the Shadow Woods. An ancient forest full of gruesome beasts that no man has ever seen and escaped from unharmed. It is said that no light can enter those woods and that any that dare to venture in must pay a great tribute to the keeper of the woods if they wish to pass through, those who do not pay are eaten by the forest keeper. I will not go that way, Link. "

"Don't be such a child!" Vialla snapped, "You speak only of legends that old men use to frighten children. There is no keeper of the woods. One thing that may cause us problems is that the woods are quite large and it takes weeks to get through them. I fear we are too unprepared to make it through. We lost our horses in that cave and they had most of our supplies."

"Have you forgotten the food and water we packed, when we were in the caves?" Link asked. Luckily, Link thought they might need to have their supplies on them in case the horses were lost. The three companions packed away a little food and water before they were discovered by the Tyfirians.

"I do not think what we packed enough to get us through the woods," Vialla said. "Perhaps Chiron is right. The Shadow Woods are not safe to venture into."

"We have no other choice," Link said sternly. "We can not stay here, not all the Tyfirians were slain. It will be awhile before they find away to chase us, but I have no doubt they will not give up so easily. Besides, I will not be content to just sit here and wait for our supplies to run out. You two may stay and die if you wish, but I am going through the woods. I will not allow Ormek to accomplish his designs "

"You're right Link," Chiron said softly, "We can't give up now, too many lives are at stake. I will go with you."

"I shall also accompany you," Vialla said humbly. "That is, if you tell me the rest off what you know about General Ormek's plan."

"All right," Link said, "Now let's get going. We need to put some distance between us an the Tyfirians." The three companions walked for three more hours while Link explained what he knew of Ormek's plan and the Triforce of Knowledge in detail the before they finally settled down. Vialla was not sure whether or not she believed Link about the Triforce, but she was quite confident that he was telling the truth about Ormek's plan to conquer Cyntir. Eventually the companions found a cave that only went twenty feet into the canyon wall and decided it would be sufficient shelter for the night.

"We should be safe if we stop here," Link said, "Hopefully it will be a little while longer before the Tyfirians find a way get past those boulders." Link said this in an attempt to put Chiron and Vialla at ease, but they were already half-asleep when they stopped for the night and had little trouble in taking some rest. Link on the other hand was wide-awake, so he decided to take the first night watch.

Unfortunately for Link and his group, the Tyfirians already knew how to get around the boulders. "Our only option is to exit the canyon then swing around and travel along the top of it till we pass the obstruction," Lucrus dictated to his remaining fifteen men, "We will then repel down into canyon and continue our pursuit. The road may be rough, but I have confirmed these are indeed the people were looking for. Our targets have only one way to go, thus we need only be faster than they are and we will catch them. And with their injured friend that should prove to be no difficult task."

"Sir, should we send for reinforcements to go around the Shadow Woods and block off the exit?" asked one of the soldiers.

"No," Lucrus replied, "that path would take us too close to Cantarus and Cyntir Castle. General Ormek has given strict orders to send no troops there. Moreover, that area will be crawling with Cyntirian soldiers. Not that any of it matters. We should easily be able to overtake these cowards. Now all of you get some rest, We have a long march a head of us."


	11. Chapter Eleven: The Hunters and the Hunt...

Chapter Eleven: The Hunters and the Hunted

Lucrus and his troops awoke before the first light of the sun crept over the eastern horizon. The Tyfirians were all very eager to capture their prey, for major Lucrus had confirmed that they were indeed the ones General Ormek sought.

Most of the Tyfirians' horses had been killed or injured the night before by the sarudon. There were only five horses left unharmed and still able to carry large loads, but those horses had been frightened when the sarudon attacked and ran off on their own. The five horses that fled were found in the morning near the canyon entrance. Luckily for the Tyfirians all five horses happened to be packhorses carrying a large amount of their supplies.

The sarudon had also claimed the lives of nine Tyfirians the previous night, leaving sixteen in the squad. Although the remaining Tyfirians wished to stay and mourn for their fallen comrades, they felt compelled to continue on and complete their objective.

The Tyfirians began their march at the break of dawn. They first advanced out of the canyon, which did not take long, and then turned and began to hike up to the top of the canyon wall. As the Tyfirians approached the top of the canyon the path became steeper, narrower, and rockier, making it impossible for the horses to make it to the top. The soldiers then decided to take up the horses' burden themselves and send the steeds back down the path. The trek up the canyon wall was long and strenuous, but that did not stop the former slaves, who were used to such physically demanding activities. At the top of the canyon the ground was very flat and with a few trees scattered about the way, making travel much easier and allowing the Tyfirians to move along their course quicker. Once the Tyfirians had successfully marched past the blockage of boulders hampering the canyon path they began to tie many ropes end to end to make one extremely long rope. They then tied one end of the rope to a tree near the edge of the canyon wall and cast the other end down into the canyon itself. The rope reached all the way to the canyon floor, allowing the Tyfirians to safely descend to the bottom. Two Tyfirians remained at the top of the canyon to guard the rope and make sure it was still there when the others needed to get out of the canyon. Every other soldier followed Lucrus into the depths of the canyon.

Each Tyfirian carried with him his weapons of war and his share of food and water rations. The Tyfirians' detour took them about eight hours to complete, meaning they needed to gain that much time on the renegades before they reached the end of the Shadow Woods lest they would escape.

Link and the others began the day's journey around the same time as their predators hoping it would take the Tyfirians several days instead of just a few hours to find a way past the obstruction created by the sarudon. Nonetheless, they still traveled as fast as they could, however they were slowed down somewhat by Vialla, who had not yet recovered completely from the loss of blood she had suffered the previous night.

The thought of the trek through the Shadow Woods weighed heavily on the minds of each member of the group, but it worried none more than Chiron. All the terrible stories he had been told about the Shadow Woods when he was younger still concerned him, even though he was aware that most of the stories had probably been contrived simply to scare little children. Link was not so much concerned with the woods, as he was with the fact that the group was very low on food and water. They were certainly not carrying enough to make it out of the woods with out finding some way to replenish their supplies.

The march along the canyon floor was long and tiring, but it held many advantages to traveling in the desert. First, the high canyon walls kept the heat of the sun of their backs for most of the day, also the ground was very firm and did not suck their feet in with every step like the sand did.

The group was beginning to feel hungry towards the end of the day. They did not eat anything the day before and had only had little something that morning. The lack of food did not bother Link much, he was used to going long periods of time with out food. Chiron and Vialla on the other hand were used to eating at least two meals every day; still they were able to drudge through the canyon at a fairly speedy pace.

Night came, but the group continued on. Chiron and Vialla wished to stop, but Link forced them to press on further for several more hours during the calm of night. Eventually Vialla could travel no further because of her wound, so Link finally decided to stop for the night. They took refuge in one of the more shallow caves in the canyon wall and settled down for the night. Vialla and Chiron dropped right off to sleep, but Link remained awake and stood guard as his companions rested. After three hours Link finally drifted off as well.

Link was still the first one up, even though he had the least amount of sleep. He awoke the others at the day brake, they ate a very small portion of their rations and drank a bit of water and set out again. They walked on the barren canyon floor for five hours stopping to rest only once, when they came across the entrance to the Shadow Woods.

The trees seemed to abruptly form a wall in the middle of the canyon. A narrow path located in the middle of the wall of trees, led into the eerie forest. Each tree was extremely tall and loomed over the earth as if they were great towers. From the trunks of the trees sprung many branches bearing lush green leaves. The branches formed a thick tangled mess, making sunlight in the woods a rare occurrence.

"Do we have to go through?" Chiron asked nervously as Link began to approach the entrance.

"There is no other way out of the canyon, Chiron," Link answered calmly. Chiron closed his eyes and shook is head before reluctantly following Link into the dark forest with Vialla close behind him. The group traveled for many hours in the dim forest when the path suddenly became very steep and rocky. The canyon walls, which could still barely be seen through the trees, were beginning to come lower to the ground. Link and Chiron were easily able to handle the road's incline, but Vialla was still a little weak and her shoulder was still bothering her making it difficult for her to keep up with the pace of the others. Chiron noticed Vialla was struggling to keep up and hurried back to help her.

"Link," Chiron yelled out, "slow down. Vialla needs to stop for a minute.

Link sighed and called back, "We can not afford to stop, we need to get out of these woods as fast as possible. Besides, with those Tyfirians on our tail every minute counts.

"Vialla can't go any further," Chiron pleaded, "she needs to rest for awhile if she's going to survive our journey through the woods." Link shook his head and walked back to Vialla and sat down with her and Chiron.

Link apologized to Vialla for making her go faster than she was able and explained that he was used to traveling on his own and keeping his own pace. Link actually wished at this point that he were on his own. He felt guilty for dragging Chiron and Vialla into his battle and leading them into the perilous Shadow Woods.

After resting for half an hour the group continued up the path. As they traveled deeper into the woods, the light of the sun broke through the forest eaves less and less. By the time the slope of the path evened out again the tree branches were woven together so tight the sunlight disappeared altogether. Yet in some patches of the forest leaves seemed to glow with a dim green light. The air in the woods was also very stuffy, due to the fact it could not circulate properly because of the thick forest roof.

The group was forced to come to an early halt that night, for once the sun set nothing in the woods could be seen other than darkness. Even if something were standing right in front of a person, they would not know until they ran into it. Link tried to light a torch using a tree branch, but there was far too much moisture in the air. The stagnant forest air soon smothered any flame Link managed to create.

It was evident that the company could not advance any further that night, so the group decided to take some rest. Link was uneasy about everyone sleeping at once so he assigned Chiron the first watch of the night.

"I can't see anything. What good would watching over us do if I can't see anything?" Chiron moaned. "Besides, why must I stand guard, have I not walked just as far as you have today?"

"I did not sleep last night Chiron, and Vialla is still weak and needs her rest," Link retorted. "Furthermore, you will not have stand guard the whole night. I will relieve you before the night is through." Chiron did not protest any further. He sat down on the ground and kept his eyes wide open, while Link and Vialla drifted off to sleep.

"My staying awake will not do us any good," Chiron thought, "If some sort of beast were to come upon us, we would be devoured before I even knew anything was there." Such thoughts were running through Chiron's mind the whole time he was on duty. It was not long till Chiron began to drift off himself. He was about to close his eyes for the night when he noticed a point of orange light off in the trees. Chiron quickly became alert again. He looked around the blackness of the woods thoroughly, but the light had disappeared. Chiron drew his sword and kept attentive. He knew something was watching them. Soon the orange light appeared again, but it was clear there were two points of light not one. It was plain to Chiron that he was looking into a pair of eyes.

Chiron prepared for whatever he saw to attack, but it did not move. Instead he saw another pair of eyes come beside the first pair, followed by another pair and then by dozens.

"Link!" Chiron shouted, waking his companions. The swarm of eyes did not frighten Link; in fact he chuckled when he saw them.

"Those are merely black boes, they are nothing to be afraid of," Link stated. "Just slash them with your sword as they attack and they will fall." Just as Link finished speaking the first boe pounced. Chiron was easily able to slash it with his sword. The boe then fell back harmlessly and evaporated. More boes began attacking from a different side. Still Chiron was able to slay the boes. Then suddenly all the boes attacked at once. Chiron swung his sword wildly and felled many of the aggressors, but there were too many for him to hold off on his own. Chiron was bitten by many boes, but he was not severely harmed. Chiron continued to slash at the beasts while receiving more bites from the creatures. It was not until Chiron slew every last boe that the attacks ceased.

Neither Link nor Vialla had lifted a finger to help Chiron during the battle, for they were both confident he could handle it himself, though he was not experienced as a warrior.

"Thanks for your help!" Chiron said sarcastically as he sat back down.

"I figured it was good practice for you," Link said, "You can take some rest now, I'll finish off your shift." Chiron struggled to sheathe his sword and then laid down right where he sat and fell asleep.

Vialla woke him many hours later. The sun was in the sky again, though they could not see it. What little light had found its way into the woods was now enough to guide them along the forest road. As usual everyone in the group ate and drank a bit and started their long march. They walked for as long as they could before the sun set and the light was completely absorbed by the shadow, resting only when it was absolutely necessary. They continued with this pattern for ten days.

Every so often the band would come across a river. The rivers would have been a problem due to their swift undertow. Had they tried to swim across they would have been dragged so far down stream by the time they got to the other side, they may never have been able to find the road again. Luckily Link's hookshot was just long enough to grapple the trees at the other side of the rivers and bring him safely to the other side. Link would then fire his hookshot at a tree on the side Chiron and Vialla were on and let his end go. The hookshot would then drag itself to the other side of the river allowing the others to use it to cross.

Link and his companions were making good time through the forest, but they used up the last of their food before the end of the ninth day. This was cause for great concern, none of the travelers had eaten enough the whole trip to keep hunger from setting in and they were now out of food and only about half way through the forest.

On the eleventh day, the group heard the howl of a wolfos off in the distance. As the day progressed, the howls of the wolf seemed to be coming closer. When the day ended the cry of the wolf was no longer heard. On the dawn of the twelfth day Chiron and Vialla had trouble getting up. They both craved a decent meal, but their desire for food only made them feel weaker. Link on the other hand would not think of food, he knew thinking of it would only make things worse.

Early that morning a large wolfos wandered out onto the trail. Link quickly drew his bow and strung an arrow. He brought the beast down with one shot. Link quickly skinned the animal and peeled off its flesh and fed it to the Chiron and Vialla. They were both very grateful for the meat, though it was raw, somewhat rubbery, and tasted extremely foul, still it was enough to fill their stomachs and keep them going. Unfortunately they knew that the meat would not be enough to get them through the woods.

The fugitives walked for another hour, when a shrill unfamiliar voice echoed through the woods. "Intruders, why hast thou entered these woods and defiled my creatures. Thine pitiful weapons do not impress me. For behold, I am Sogos, guardian of the Shadow Woods. I shall enjoy gnawing on thy bones."

Once the voice ceased to speak, dozens of vines sprung from the darkness of the woods and wrapped up the three companions. They struggled to break free, but the vines were too strong. Then a larger vine covered in thorns wrapped around all three of them and pricked its prey and let go. The vine's thorns had secreted a powerful sedative, which caused even Link to pass out in a matter of seconds. They all fell motionless to the ground and the vines dragged them into the depths of the woods and away from the path.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Not Out of the Woods Yet

Chapter Twelve: Not out of the Woods Yet

Link awoke to find his feet dangling above his head. They were tied together as were his hands by a thick green vine. Upon realizing this he sighed. "I can not believe I have been captured again! What is this, the third time this quest," he thought to himself.

Link was careful not to open his eyes too wide. He did not want his captor, who ever it was to know he had woken from his slumber. He opened his eyes just enough to see his immediate surroundings. It was too dark in the woods for Link to see very far in any direction. He opened his eyes a tiny bit more, but he could see nothing more, other than his equipment lying on the ground just above his head, so he closed his eyes once more and listened to the noise of the forest.

Link patiently waited for his companions to awaken or his captor to reveal himself, but neither event occurred for twenty minutes, when Vialla finally awoke. She called out for Chiron and Link. Link did not respond, however Vialla's cry did cause Chiron to stir. He groaned loudly and slowly opened his eyes. Once he realized had been tied up he began to thrash around violently. Suddenly a towering creature emerged from the woods. He was wrapped in the same thorny vines that had rendered the refugees unconscious.

"Ah, I see that thou hast awoken," the creature said in a deep voice, "Well, two of thy party in any case," he said as he looked at Link, who had still had not moved or lifted his eyelids. "Did ye fools really think ye could pass through my woods with out paying tribute to me, the great master of these woods, Sogos?"

"We have nothing to offer you," Chiron pleaded.

"It seems thou hast a terrible dilemma on thine hands then," Sogos said as his long blue tongue slipped from his mouth and he turned his back to Link. "Then thou shalt pay with the meat of thy bones." Sogos placed his long thorny fingers on Chiron's neck and opened his mouth wide.

"No!" Vialla cried, "If you let us go, we'll help you find a whole group of men who have been following us. They're a lot bigger and meatier than we are too. Not to forget there are many more of them then there are of us." Chiron was disgusted with Vialla; she was displaying the typical gerudo behavior she was always trying so hard to suppress.

"That is indeed an enticing offer," Sogos cackled, "however, I already know of thine enemies' trespass through mine woods. I can assure thee, I will confront thine enemies as soon as I am finished with thee. And because ye have not made me an offering and can not do so, ye shall pay with thine lives." Sogos roared and opened his mouth wide again to swallow Chiron, but before he took his first bite, he jumped back and howled in pain as his vines were engulfed in a bright orange flame. The vine beast danced around violently trying to squelch the fire, but it did him no good, so he sped off into the woods in search of water to drown the flames.

Chiron and Vialla looked around and saw Link holding his bow with an outstretched arm. Link quickly cut his comrades down and they recovered their equipment and ran deeper into the woods.

"How?" Chiron stuttered after the three escapees had slowed their run to a quick walk.

"Simple," Link replied, "I always keep a small knife underneath my gauntlet. All I had to do was get it out using my mouth and cut my hands free, the rest was easy. I would have gotten us out sooner, but I was not sure whether or not we were being watched, so I waited until Sogos came out to speak to you two, then I sprang into action. It is a good thing you kept him talking for so long. Otherwise we could have been in trouble."

"But how did you rig a flaming arrow up so quickly?" Chiron asked eagerly.

"Magic." Link said. Chiron laughed at his companion's response, not realizing the answer was no joke.

The three companions wandered aimlessly through the woods for several hours hoping to stumble across the path or something that would help them find their way back to the road. Being captured had done much more than just pull them off the path, it had also delayed them by many hours, which they were unable to make up, for soon after they escaped the sun began to set and the three wanderers were forced to stop for the night.

The company slept uneasily that night, they had no idea where they were, their food supply was gone, the Tyfirians were still on their trail, and now Sogos was looking for them too. Chiron especially was giving in to despair. He was certain he would not live to see his family again. Nothing had gone right for him since he met Link. He longed to sleep in his own bed and to eat a large supper with his brothers and sisters again. As he thought of such things his belly began to ache and all his attention was turned toward how hungry he was.

Vialla's thought mostly of her pursuers, the Tyfirians more so than Sogos. She was still not sure why they were after Link and Chiron in the first place. Link told her he knew of some Tyfirian plan to conquer Cyntir, but she did not know the details of that plan. She also thought about the mysterious Link, she did not trust him much, but she did trust Chiron, who for some reason seemed to hold Link in the highest esteem, so she was willing to follow Link as long as Chiron was.

Link found no rest of any kind that night. He was not worried much about what would happen to him or his companions if they were unable to find food; rather he was more concerned about what would happen to the people of Cyntir if he failed to stop Ormek's plan. Link was also too busy thinking up ways to get out of the forest alive and avoid getting caught by his enemies to sleep.

The next day there was less light in the Shadow Woods than usual. Link figured that it was a cloudy day outside the forest and because of that, less light penetrated the forest roof. He was right; in fact the sky was completely over cast with black storm clouds. It had not begun to rain yet, but there was real potential for it.

As soon as there was enough light, the group continued traveling in the direction they thought they would find the road in. They did not get far before Chiron collapsed with out warning. Vialla quickly rushed to his side and asked him what the matter was.

"I can't go any further," Chiron replied feebly.

"Yes you can," Link told Chiron, "You just have to believe you can."

"No," Chiron said wearily, "I'm too weak to continue on. I shouldn't have come with you Link. I've done nothing, but slow you down."

"You're slowing us down now by refusing to get up!" Link said with a hint of anger in his voice. "Now get up, so we can get going!"

"I'll only make it so you can't get out of the woods before you die from lack of food," Chiron pleaded.

Link looked at Chiron coldly. He grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him to his feet. "Get up now!" Link ordered furiously, "We do not have any time to waste! I have already lost too much time! It is only a matter of time before Ormek strikes." Link let go of Chiron's shirt, but the exhausted farm boy's knees buckled and he fell to the ground. Link reached for Chiron again, but Vialla grabbed his arm before he could reach him.

"Link, calm down," she entreated, "I'll carry him the rest of the way."

Link looked at her harshly for a bit before he said, "No, you need your strength. I will carry him." Link quickly lifted Chiron up on his back and continued on with out saying another word. Link felt terrible about how cruelly he had treated Chiron, but he could not bring himself to apologize. After an hour or so of walking with the extra burden his thoughts turned back towards his goal. In another hour Chiron informed Link that he felt well enough to walk for a while again and Link gladly let him down.

A short time later Link halted the company. "Get down!" Link yelled. All three members of the company dropped to the ground as an arrow came whizzing through the air.

"Circle them quickly you fools!" the voice of Lucrus called out. Tyfirian soldiers quickly surrounded Link and the others in an attempt to subdue them. All three fugitives drew their weapons and prepared for the onslaught, but before the first Tyfirian could attack a large vine shot from the trees knocked five men off their feet including Link. Sogos leapt from the darkness of the woods and began violently swiping at anything that moved.

"Where is that rotten archer!" Sogos howled, "I shall gnaw on his bones!" Almost immediately after Sogos said this, Link shot a flaming arrow the vine-beast while still lying on the ground. Sogos was prepared for such an attack and sprung out of the way. He then shot a vine at Link to tie him up, but the Hyrulian picked up his sword and cut the vine before it could wrap around him. Link jumped to his feet, but Sogos was already on top of him. Before Sogos could do any damage though, a Tyfirian that was unaware of where Link was ran a sword through the monster's side. Sogos cried out in pain. Link took advantage of the distraction by drawing the small knife from underneath his gauntlet. He threw it and the blade landed right underneath Sogos's chin and nicked his windpipe. The vine beast collapsed while gasping for air. Link slid out from underneath the beast and picked up both his bow and sword.

Sogos writhed on the ground unable to stand up. The Tyfirian that had stabbed Sogos charged Link as soon as he got up. Link was already prepared for the attack by the time the soldier reached him. Link had no trouble disarming his opponent and knocking him out. Link's attention was then turned to helping his companions, but he could not see them anywhere. All he saw were trees and four men dressed in blue and grey coming towards him with swords drawn. Link assumed a defensive stance, but a vine sent by Sogos, who had not yet given into death and had recovered somewhat from his wounds, suddenly knocked him down.

Link dropped his weapons and swiftly rose to his feet again, but this time he made some odd gestures with his hands and then slammed his hands on to the ground. He was soon covered with a dome of fire, which began to spread quickly. Sogos and the four Tyfirians were swallowed by flame as were the trees and smaller plants around Link. The fire spread and formed a wall between Link and the other Tyfirians. Lucrus scowled at Link from behind the wall of flame that blazed in front of him. He knew that his last chance to catch his prey had gone up in smoke. With no way of advancing past the rapidly growing wall of fire, Lucrus had no choice but to order the few men he had left to fall back.

Link ran furiously through the woods, both to get away from the Tyfirians and to find Chiron and Vialla. He had assumed that they managed to escape when Sogos attacked, but he had no proof they did. He called out the names of his two companions thunderously, but he received no reply for several minutes. Just when Link began to fear his companions had been captured or had fled some other way, he felt a small rock pelt him. Link turned to look in the direction the rock came from and found Vialla and Chiron crouching behind a fallen tree. They motioned Link to come over to them and he did so.

"We can hide here for a while," Vialla whispered.

"There is no need to hide," Link said, "Neither the Tyfirians or Sogos will be giving us trouble any time soon. Besides we need to keep moving. Without any food supplies left we have to get out of this blasted forest as soon as we are able."

Chiron groaned upon hearing that he would have to walk again. "What does it matter," he said in a depressed tone. "We don't have any food, we can't find the road, and we don't even know if we're going in the right direction."

Link was again angered by Chiron's loss of hope. He was about to lash out again, but he recalled how ineffective his last outburst had been. Link was able to calm himself by reflecting on the counsel Calrith had often given him on controlling his anger.

"Chiron," Link said in an irritated tone, "We have to keep going. We will not last much longer out here. We have to get out as soon as possible. Now get up, I do not have enough energy to carry you now. I am too tired from that last battle."

"Then just leave me here," Chiron said as he stared of into the blackness of the woods.

"We can't just leave you here," Vialla pleaded. Chiron sat on the ground motionless, giving no response.

Link stifled his anger and continued to try to reason with his companion. "Come on Chiron, you have to get up. Your family is waiting for you." Chiron looked at Link strangely at the mention of his family. "You promised your father you would make him proud," Link continued, "Now is your chance. If you help me defeat Ormek you will do exactly that." Chiron nodded and slowly rose to his feet.

Link smiled and took the lead. The group continued on with no particular bearing in mind. They had no idea in what direction the exit lay, but Link followed his instinct and the others were content to follow him. The hungry fugitives managed walk another two days without much food. Link was, however, able to find a few plants, which were edible, but they provided little energy and were found only rarely. On the third day after their last encounter with Sogos, Chiron's strength gave out again. He fell to the ground nearly unconscious. This time Link was not angered, for he knew this time Chiron had not merely given up, but had used up every last ounce of his energy.

"We should stop and rest," said Vialla feebly wishing to lay in the dirt with her friend. Her stomach ached terribly from the need of food and she barely had enough strength to stand up.

"No," Link said. "If we stop now we will not be able to get going again." Vialla gave Link a disheartened look and nodded slowly. Link summoned what little strength he still had left and lifted Chiron up on his back again. Vialla managed to keep moving for the rest of the day, but as the dim woods grew darker with the approach of night, hunger and a lack of energy defeated her as well. Upon seeing that both his comrades were no longer in any condition to keep moving he laid Chiron on the ground and sat with his back up against a tree.

"It can not end this way," he thought to himself, "I can not just let Ormek win. Who knows what he will do to the people of Cyntir if he keeps a hold of the Triforce of Knowledge?" Just when Link was about to give up all hope, he felt a cold drop of water land on his nose. He looked up to the tops of the trees and to his amazement he beheld not one, but several gaps between the leaves. He also saw storm clouds trough the openings.

"Vialla, Chiron," he cried, "the sky, I can see it. We must be getting close to the exit. The trees are becoming fewer and farther apart. We are almost out."

Neither Chiron nor Vialla showed any sign of joy. "What difference does it make," said Vialla weakly, "I can't go on any further and there is no way you could carry either Chiron or me and make it out yourself."

"Just go on and leave us behind," said Chiron, "you can still make it."

"No," Link protested, "I will not just leave you to rot, we are in this together!"

"Go!" Chiron groaned, "If you don't make it out, countless others will suffer. I can't let you stay and die with me when you can save so many other lives." Although Link did not want to do such a thing, he realized it was his duty to make it out of the forest and stop Ormek and he knew the only way he could do that now was by leaving his companions behind.

"I will come back for you," Link said as he rose to his feet, "I will not let you die out here, you have my word." With that Link turned and headed off into the darkening forest. He did not get far before the sun had set completely, leaving the forest pitch black. Link could hardly see a foot in front of him. He thought about turning in for the night, but once he remembered that Chiron and Vialla were counting on him to get them out, he decided there was no time for rest and kept going.

Link had no choice, but to walk with his arms in front of him as he blindly stumbled through the woods. Every fifteen steps or so, he cut a notch in the nearest tree with his sword. He hoped that the notches would guide him back to Chiron and Vialla once he got help for them. Link continued on in this manner for hours. Though his progress through the woods was slow, he was able to cover considerable ground in the dark.

During his journey through the darkness, Link could not stop thinking about how hopeless the situation had become. It was hard for him to think of much else when he could see nothing but black. The darkness of the woods slowly crept into as his mind as his thoughts grew darker. Nearly six weeks had passed since Link's confrontation with Ormek and he was still not even close to completing his mission. From the moment he set out on his quest to retrieve Soarlec's Talon, everything had gone wrong. Fate seemed to be against him and with Ormek. Soon despair began to gnaw at Link's soul. He thought of what would happen if he failed in his quest. Cyntir would fall, he knew that for sure, but Link felt in his heart that Ormek's conquest would not end there. With such power at his disposal, there was no telling what Ormek might do after he destroyed Cyntir.

Link clenched his fist in anger as he thought of all the people who would suffer as a result of Ormek's foolish ambition. More specifically he thought of Chiron's family and Calrith. Link swore he would stop Ormek and make him pay. Pay for what he did to Chiron's ranch and pay for Calrith's death.


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Balris

Chapter Thirteen: Balris

Link stumbled through the woods for the entire night. Though his progress had been slow and tiresome, by the time the sun rose he was a mere thirty-minute walk from the edge of the forest. Once Link emerged from the woods he took a large breath of fresh air and looked joyously at the blue sky. His relief was short lived, for as soon as he looked at the sky he set off to find some help for his companions. He headed southeast, in the direction Vialla told him the nearest town was.

It took Link a bit longer than two hours to cross the plains and reach the city. Once he was inside the city he was unsure of what to do or where to go. He wandered around the streets for a few minutes and asked various people if they could help him or take him to someone who could. Almost everyone who Link talked to told him that they were busy or simply ignored him. Link was beginning to become frustrated when he saw two horses standing by a small tavern. He rushed up to the man who was watching the horses and asked him if he could borrow the horses.

"These are my masters horses, sir," the man replied. "He would be terribly mad at me if I loaned his horses to a stranger."

"But I need them to rescue my companions," Link pleaded, "They have not eaten in days and if I do not get back to them soon they may die."

"That's not my problem," the man said spitefully.

"I will pay for them. One hundred rupees, I will bring them right back," Link offered.

"Sorry bub, a hundred rupees isn't enough to let you walk off with my horses," said the man.

"It is all I have," Link said a bit irritated.

"Oh well," the man said and looked down the street, "looks like you're in quite a fix."

Link lost his patience, drew his sword and pointed it at the man's throat. "Give me the horses," he said calmly.

"All yours," the man said as he backed away and ran into a nearby tavern. Link then hurried away to a bakery on another street to buy a couple loaves of bread.

"Twenty rupees for a loaf of bread?" Link asked with an angry tone.

"Sorry," the baker said, "but the Tyfirians have blocked off all our sea ports. We haven't received a shipment of grain in a month. We've been forced to rely solely on locally grown grain, which needless to say can not support the needs of the entire city. However, twenty rupees is still a good price, no? Most other bakers are selling bread of thirty. Plus, if we don't get more grain soon I'll have to double the price again, so twenty is a good price."

Upon hearing about the Tyfirian blockade, a chill shot down Link's spine. Ormek's plan was already in motion and Link knew he was running out of time, fast.

Link paid the baker for two loaves of bread and then mounted one of the horses he stole and tied a rope to the reigns of the other. Link raced his horses back the Shadow Woods as fast as they would go. Once he arrived at the edge of the woods he searched frantically for the two notches he left in on he trees indicating where he exited. Once he found them, he carefully followed the trail of notches on his way to find his comrades. It was not until he could see his trail in the light that he realized how crooked his path was.

When Link tried to enter the forest, the horses reared up and neighed loudly. The horse Link was riding nearly bucked him off. "Yah!" Link yelled and kicked the horse's side, but it did not move.

"I wish I had Epona with me," he thought to himself, "she would never turn away from a mere dark forest." That was not the only reason Link longed for Epona. She was after all, the only friend Link still had from his childhood. Actually she was the only friend he had now that Calrith was dead. Link bowed his head in sorrow as he reflected on his life and the friends he used to have. But they were all gone now or rather he was gone. At one point in his life all Link wanted was friends, but all that changed when he discovered he was destined to be the great hero of time.

Link removed the gauntlet on his left hand and stared coldly at the symbol of the Triforce on the back of his palm. He wondered what it would be like to not have to bear the burden of a piece of the Triforce, to be a normal person like Chiron, to have a family and a real home. Link often thought of such things, but he always put such thoughts out of his mind, knowing that he would never have them, and Link did so this time as well. He realized he was wasting his time dwelling on these thoughts and needed to find his companions as soon as he could.

He dismounted his steed and led both horses by the reigns into the woods. Link quickly wound his way through the black forest until he came to the last notch. He called out the names of his companions and listened intently for a response, but no response came. Link raised his voice and called out again. No one called back. Link delved a little deeper into the woods and continued to call for his companions. A few minutes latter he found them lying on the ground barely breathing. He rushed over to them and knelt by Chiron's side.

"Chiron, are you okay?" Link asked as he shook the farmer gently. Chiron slowly opened his eyes and smiled weakly at Link. Link smiled back and pulled one of the loaves of bread he purchased from his pack. He tore a piece from the loaf and placed it in Chiron's mouth, the farm boy chewed it slowly and swallowed it with a bit of difficulty. Link then moved on to Vialla and gave her a piece of bread to eat as well. He then placed Chiron and Vialla on the horses and led them out of the Shadow Woods by again following the notches he made in the trees.

About half way back to the city, Chiron managed to muster enough energy to utter the short sentence "Is there any bread left?"

"Sorry," Link answered, "you two ate both loaves already."

A few minutes latter Chiron succeeded in asking another question, "Did you get anything to eat?" Link simply shook his head. "I'm glad you found us when you did. I don't think I would have lasted much longer."

"I think you would be surprised with what you are actually capable of." Link said. Chiron nodded his head slowly and closed his eyes. He did not speak for the rest of the trip back to the city.

By the time the group reached the town Link had entered previously that day, Chiron and Vialla had regained enough energy to speak at will and were even able to walk without aid for short distances.

"Link," Vialla said as they reached the edge of town. "My business partner, Balris, is staying at an inn near the docks. If you take us there we can stay with him while Chiron and I recover."

"This is East Port Town then?" Link asked. Vialla nodded her head. Link breathed a sigh of relief. "At last I am making some progress."

Link followed Vialla's directions to the inn, which her partner was staying at. Once they reached the inn Link took the borrowed horses to the stables and then the three companions went in search of Vialla's partner. Vialla guided Link and Chiron to Balris's room and knocked on the door, but no answer came. Vialla knocked again, but there was still no answer. Finally Vialla turned the doorknob and slowly opened the door. She entered the room and called Balris's name, but she could see he was not there.

The room was small it contained only one bed, which covered most of the floor. The room also had but a single window.

"He should be back any moment," Vialla said, "we can wait for him here till he returns." Vialla then walked over to the bed and fell forward on to it. Chiron sat on the ground and propped his back up against the nearest wall and let out a heavy groan.

"Will you two be okay if I leave you here?" Link asked sympathetically.

"Yeah, we'll be fine," said Chiron, "but where are you going?"

"I have to return the horses," Link replied and left with out saying another word.

With Chiron and Vialla out of danger, Link returned to the tavern where he stole the horses. The man who had been watching them before Link took them was waiting for him.

"You actually brought them back!" the man said in a bit startled.

"Yeah," Link said in a hostile tone as he handed the reigns to the man. Link turned to walk away when the man caught him by his shoulder.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" the man inquired.

Link opened his wallet and handed the man sixty rupees.

"You promised me one hundred," the man protested.

"You should have taken the original offer," Link retorted, "this is all I have left." Link then placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and stared at the Cyntirian coldly.

"Pleasure doing business with you," the man said as he ran off.

Link grunted to himself as he looked into his empty wallet. "I hope this Balris will not require payment up front for the use of his ship," he thought to himself as he returned to the inn. By the time he arrived at the inn the sun had nearly set. Link made his way back to the room where his companions were resting. He entered the room without knocking and found Vialla and Chiron exactly where he left them.

"Has Balris returned yet?" Link inquired.

"Not yet," Vialla said drowsily.

Link set his weapons on the floor and sat down next to Chiron and closed his eyes for a moment. It was then that he realized he had not eaten since his company ran out of food in the Shadow Woods several days ago. He then got up to go to the tavern that was a part of the inn, but remembered he had given all his money to man he had taken the horses from.

"Do either of you have any money with you?" Link asked his two weary companions, "I need it to get us some food." Link's two weary comrades both informed him they were also without currency. Link moaned from hunger and headed towards the tavern anyway.

He sat down at a vacant table and waited for people to leave. Once a person left, Link rushed over to their table and gobbled up any edible scraps they left behind. Link continued on in this manner for an hour, but still did not manage to find enough food to fill his stomach. As Link was waiting for another man to get up from his seat and leave his food behind, he heard a loud voice coming from the bar.

"There he is!" the voice thundered. Link turned to look to the bar and saw the man he took the horses from earlier. "That's the man that stole your horse master!" the man cried as he pointed an accusing finger at Link, who quickly turned his face away. Three large men, as well as the man Link had taken the horses from and another man dressed scarlet silk robe soon encircled his table. The man in the robe sat down in the chair across from Link.

"I understand you borrowed my horses earlier," the man in the robe said, "and I also know you didn't pay my servant adequately for the inconvenience. So, if you would kindly pay me an additional hundred rupees my men and I will be on our ways."

"I do not have any money left, so I am afraid you have wasted your time in coming after me," Link said calmly.

The man in the robe smiled at Link and said, "Well if you don't have any money, you shouldn't have allowed my servant to follow you here. Now produce the hundred rupees for me unless you are prepared for some trouble." One of the men that stood behind Link firmly placed his hand on Link's shoulder and readied himself for his master's command.

"Very well then," Link said. He elbowed the man behind him in the ribs who fell backward into the bar upon contact. Link sprung to his feet, overturning the table as he did so. Another one of the robed man's henchmen threw a punched at Link, but the Hyrulian got under it and deflected the blow with his forearm. He followed up his block with a punch of his own, which hit the henchman squarely underneath his chin. The man fell to the ground, but before Link could turn to locate his next opponent, he was hit over the back with a chair and fell to the ground himself. Link immediately felt the foot of the aggressor on his back, however it was not there for long, for the henchman was soon pulled off him. Link forced himself to his feet and saw a well-built man with long brown hair and a thick beard holding the henchman down. Link looked over at the robed man and grinned, the man then turned to the door and bolted and was followed by his servants.

The man who helped Link in the fight allowed his foe to escape and went over to Link to give him some assistance. "Have ye taken any serious injury?" the man inquired. Link shook his head and sat down at a near by table.

"I appreciate your help," Link said with a hint of pain in his voice. "I would repay you if it were possible, but I am afraid I have nothing of real value to give you and I hope to be leaving this town soon."

"That's all right m'boy, ye don't need to pay me for anything." The man said.

Link offered to shake his new ally's hand and said, "I am thankful for your kindness, uh...."

"The name is Balris," the man said and shook Link's hand.

"Balris? Do you know a gerudo named Vialla?" Link asked ecstatically.

"She's me business partner," Balris confirmed. Link proceeded to tell Balris, how he knew Vialla and that she was waiting for him in his room, Balris led Link back to his chamber immediately afterwards. When the two men arrived at the room Vialla let out a semi-energetic cry.

"Ye look terrible," Balris chuckled. Vialla and Chiron laughed, but Link only turned to Balris and said, "Balris, Vialla tells me you own a ship. I am in dire need of one. You must take me to the Frozen Fortress."

"Ye must be joking," Balris said with a somewhat shocked look. "Men of the sea speak of a demonic ice spirit which dwells thar. Many men have gone to that frozen island in search of a legendary treasure, but none have ever returned. Ye are not thinking of actually going thar, are ye."

"I must go there, otherwise a great evil will fall upon this land and all those who live here." Link continued to explain a brief version of the situation with Ormek and the Tyfirians. Balris listened intently.

After Link finished his story Balris sighed. "This is a mighty tall tale ye've just told me," he said. "Ye don't realize how large the request ye've made is. I've a sched'le to keep and I'm already late in leaving East Port Town. B'sides the Frozen Fortress is a death trap. I can't risk me life for a man I just met who is probably crazy. I'm sorry m'boy, I can't do it."

"The band of mercenaries I work for will be more than willing to compensate you for your trouble," Link said.

Balris shook his head and said, "Mercen'ries are not be trusted. There are too many that are ready to rob them that aren't wary."

"I guarantee you then, that the Hyrulian government will furnish you with your payment," Link offered.

"Ye can't expect me to be believe the Hyrulian royal family will help a common mercen'ry like ye. I'm sure now that you're insane," Balris laughed.

"I know Link seems a bit odd at first," Chiron interrupted, "but I've been spending a lot of time with him recently. I can't explain a lot of the stuff that's been happening, but I do know that the Tyfirians have been hunting him ever since he fought with Ormek in the desert."

"He's right," Vialla interjected, "The Tyfirians are hunting him for some reason. They would not have followed us through the Shadow Woods with out cause. Besides, in the time I've spent with Link he has proven his worth many times. If he says he will pay you, I believe he will."

Balris sighed again and looked into Link's eyes. "If Vialla and Chiron trust ye, I will also trust ye," he said. "I'll take ye to the fortress, but not an inch further. We'll set sail for the Frozen Fortress tomorrow mornin'." Link let out a deep breath and nodded his head. He finally felt he had made some real progress.


	14. Chapter Fourteen: The Cannons of Tyfiria

Chapter Fourteen: The Cannons of Tyfiria

Link awoke the next morning an hour before dawn. He woke up the others and they all headed down to the docks. They loaded Balris's ship up with a few food supplies as well as some merchandise Balris had acquired in town. Balris's ship was very small when compared to other commercial sea liners, however it was exactly the type of ship Link was hoping for. The small size of the ship would allow it to slip past Tyfiria's military ships relatively unnoticed. It was also extremely fast and maneuverable.

"This ship has outrun countless pirate vessels," Balris said to Link as they were loading some small crates onto the ship, "That's why I built her the way I did. I sacrificed size for speed. I figured if I'm constantly being ba'rded by pirates I'll never make enough rupees ta get by." Link nodded his head slightly.

Balris still did not fully trust Link as his companions did and Link's silence only added to Balris's uneasiness. "Ye better not be lying about the Hyrulian government paying me for me trouble," Balris said sternly.

"This ship is precisely what I need. Your kind deed will not be forgotten," Link said to Balris as he boarded the ship. Balris picked up his feet and quickly followed after.

"How exactly do ye know the Hyrulian Royal family?" Balris inquired.

Link sighed, "It is a complicated story," he said, "besides it is not something I enjoy talking about."

"I'm going out of my way to take ye to a known death trap," Balris said, "Not to mention I barely know ye and ye've made me a promise that, frankly I don't think ye can keep. If ye can't tell me how ye know the Hyrulian Royal Family, I can't take yer word on how I'll receive me payment. Now tell me how ye know them or no deal."

"Very well," Link said, "I will tell you once we are out to sea."

"No, tell me now!" Balris said as he looked at Link distrustfully.

"It is a lengthy story and not one I am to eager to tell," Link snapped. "I want to leave as soon as possible, so let us load the ship up and set sail before we worry about anything else." Balris looked coldly into Link's eyes, which were full contention.

"Fine," Balris said angrily, "but once were at sea, ye will tell me everything, including exactly what General Ormek's plan is and why he is after you."

"Agreed," Link said. He then scowled at Balris and quickened his pace, leaving the seaman behind.

As soon as the ship was loaded up, the four companions boarded and set sail. Balris took the helm and Chiron stood close by. Vialla lay down on the deck and closed her eyes, allowing the sea breeze to lull her to sleep. Link stood at the ship's stern with his arms folded and watched the land disappear over the horizon.

Once the last trace of land was gone, Balris turned to Chiron and said, "Bring yer friend up here, it is time he told us what the importance of his mission is." Chiron nodded and began making his way to the stern, but Link had already come to the helm on his own. "Ah, master Link," Balris said once the mercenary had arrived, "are ye ready to tell us why we are sailing you to yer death?"

"If you are ready to hear it," Link said emotionlessly. "Have you ever heard the legend of the Triforce?"

"Aye," Balris said without turning his gaze from the ocean. "Those are supposed to be the golden triangles with the power to govern all the races of this world and grant the wishes of the one who holds them, right?"

"Yes," Link replied, "The whole Triforce, has that power, but the three pieces that make up the Triforce are also quite powerful by themselves. For centuries robbers and thieves have sought the sacred relic, hoping to master its immense power, but somehow a part of the legend was lost, for General Ormek has found what appears to be a fourth piece of the Triforce."

"Ye expect me to believe that?" Balris laughed.

"It's true!" Chiron interjected, "I saw Ormek come out of some strange portal in the desert and when he emerged he bore the symbol of the Triforce on his hand."

"Ah, but how can ye be sure he actually has a piece of the Triforce?" Balris inquired, "A symbol on one's hand does not mean anything."

"I know because I have a connection to the Triforce myself," Link answered as he held up his left hand. Suddenly the symbol of the Triforce began to radiate through his brown leather gauntlet, but the bottom right triangle glowed much brighter than the other two. "I am the keeper of the Triforce of Courage," Link said boldly. Vialla, who had been listening in on the conversation from the start, sprang to her feet and gazed in awe at the symbol on Link's hand.

"When Ormek stole the Triforce of Knowledge I was able to feel the disturbance. Now I fear he plans to destroy Cyntir with it. The only way to return the Triforce of Knowledge to its rightful place is to locate Soarlec's Talon, which is hidden within the Blizzard Temple, situated in the midst of the Frozen Fortress.

Chiron, Balris, and Vialla all stood speechless. The revelation of Link's power was, to say the least, intimidating. Finally, after several moments of silence, Balris spoke. "Perhaps ye are not as crazy as I thought. Maybe it is possible that you can make it through the Frozen Fortress. Though, I still hope to receive payment for transporting ye to yer destination."

"You shall have your payment," Link nodded.

"Good," Balris said, "Now if ye'll kindly tell us of how ye know the Hyrulian Royal Family, I shall be completely satisfied with taking ye to the Frozen Fortress."

"Very well," Link sighed as he prepared to tell a part of his life he wished he could forget. "I never knew my parents, they were some how killed in a war that ravaged Hyrule twenty years ago. Before my mother died she found a settlement of forest children known as the Kokiri. Knowing that death was not far off, she asked the Great Deku Tree, the guardian of the Kokiri Forest, to watch after me. He took me in and my mother passed away. I was raised as a Kokiri and though the Kokiri were children like I was, they never grew. They stayed young forever. I could always sense I was different from the others, as could they. Most of the Kokiri accepted me regardless, but I always felt I did not belong.

"When I was ten years of age, a curse befell the Great Deku Tree and he asked for my help. I was able to break the curse, but I could not save the Deku Tree. Before he died the Deku Tree gave me a sacred stone of the Kokiri and sent me on a quest to find the princess Zelda of Hyrule. Knowing deep down that I did not belong in the forest and hoping to prove something to myself, I accepted the quest and left the forest for the first time in my life.

"I made my way to Hyrule Castle and located the princess. She told me of an evil gerudo man named Ganondorf, who sought the power of the Triforce, which was located in the Sacred Realm. It was the same man who had cursed the Deku tree. Zelda also told me that the entrance to the Sacred Realm was guarded by a stone door, called the Door of Time, that could only be opened by the Ocarina of Time and the three Spiritual Stones, one of which the Deku Tree had given to me. That same stone was the reason Ganondorf cursed the Great Deku Tree.

"Zelda feared what Ganondorf would do if he ever got all the keys, so she sent me on a quest to find the other two Spiritual Stones. I still do not understand to this day, exactly why I embarked on that quest. Perhaps I wanted to prove to myself that I was worth more than what the Kokiri had thought me. Maybe I craved adventure after spending my childhood in the sheltered Kokiri Forest. Or perhaps I felt I was destined to stop Ganondorf. Whatever the reason it proved to be a mistake.

"I managed to secure the other two Sacred Stones, with much effort. As I was returning to Hyrule Castle, I saw Zelda fleeing from Ganondorf with her attendant. Zelda threw the Ocarina of Time, the final key to the Door of Time, to me, hoping I could use it to protect the Triforce. I went to the Temple of Time praying I could gain access to the Triforce and use it to defeat Ganondorf. I opened the Door of Time and behind it I found the legendary Master Sword. I impulsively pulled the blade from the pedestal and was engulfed in light. I felt myself drifting into a deep sleep, but before I completely lost consciousness, I heard the laugh of Ganondorf. I then realized all I had succeeded in doing was leading Ganondorf right to the Triforce.

"Through some strange magic, I was sealed away in the Sacred Realm for seven years. When I finally awoke I learned that Ganondorf had taken the Triforce and used it to conquer Hyrule. I was also informed that the only way to defeat Ganondorf was to find and awaken the six sages of Hyrule. I did not believe what I had been told at first, I did not believe seven years had truly past, but when I saw Hyrule Castle Town decimated and infested with undead monsters, I knew what I had been told was true.

"I knew that the fall of Hyrule was my fault, I lead Ganondorf right to the Triforce. It was for that reason that I set out to find the sages. It was a painful journey, as I traveled through out Hyrule I was forced to see all the destruction and pain that Ganondorf caused and every person I met I knew deep down their suffering was partly my fault." Link ceased to speak after that. His mind retreated back to the events of the alternate past. Balris stared at Link in awe. He thought Link's story was a bit far fetched, but when he looked at Link he could almost see the mercenary's inner turmoil. Link suddenly became aware of the awkward silence. He turned to Balris and noticed he was starring at him. Link then realized he had revealed more about his past than he intended.

Link cleared his throat loudly, in an attempt to break Balris' concentration and continued his story. "Anyway, I was successful in awakening the sages. I was ready to finally confront Ganondorf when I was called back to the Temple of Time. There I met a young Sheikah named Sheik who had occasionally pointed me in the right direction to find the sages. However, Sheik was not who he appeared to be. He was actually the princess Zelda who was posing as a young Sheikah man to hide from Ganondorf. She informed me she was the seventh sage. She also revealed Ganondorf only secured one of the three pieces of the Triforce and the other two pieces had been scattered. Ganondorf kept the Triforce of Power, I received the Triforce of Courage, and Zelda was the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom. With the power of the Triforce of Courage and the help of the seven sages I was able to banish Ganondorf to the Sacred Realm.

"After I defeated Ganon, I returned the Master Sword to the Temple of Time and I was returned to my original time. I do not know exactly how, but Ganondorf was gone, when I returned to Hyrule Castle it seemed that the gerudo king had been banished to the Dark Realm in the past as well. After I met with princess Zelda again she told me that she and all of Hyrule was indebted to me.

"Before I left Hyrule, Zelda returned the Ocarina of Time, which had been under the protection of the Hyrulian Royal Family for generations, to me." Link pulled the Ocarina of Time from its compartment on his belt and showed it to Balris and the others.

"Now do you believe I am connected to the Hyrulian Royal Family?" Link asked.

"Aye," Balris replied. He trusted Link quite a bit more after the story, he doubted anyone could have simply made up such a story and told it with such emotion. Balris quickly returned his attention to the sea as Link stood up and made his way beneath deck. Chiron watched Link closely until he disappeared from his view.

"Do you think we can trust him, Balris?" Villa asked the sea captain.

"Of course we can trust him!" Chiron interjected. "He wouldn't just make that story up."

"You're still young and naïve, Chiron," Villa replied, "You should not be so trusting of people."

"Whether you trust him or not does not matter, Vialla," Balris said, "I am taking him where he needs to go. I trust Chiron's judgment on this matter and we will leave it at that." Vialla simply nodded and made her way to the stern.

Link tried to avoid the other people on boat as much as possible for the rest of the trip, but due to the small size of the ship, it proved to be rather difficult. Link had revealed much more about his past than he wanted anyone to ever know. He had never told anyone that much about his past, including Calrith. He hated the fact he allowed himself to reveal so much, but at the same time he felt a bit relieved. Other than Navi, he had never told anyone about how guilty he felt about leading Ganondorf to the Triforce, not even the princess Zelda. Telling his companions about his past ordeals somehow allowed him to find refuge from the inner chaos that plagued his heart. However, Link still avoided the others, for he knew they could never truly understand his pain. After all, they had never seen what he had seen, the suffering he caused. They were like everybody else in the world, ignorant of the alternate past and the alternate dimension of Termina, but Link, Link was different and he knew it.

The journey to the Frozen Fortress was mostly uneventful. The weather remained clear and a fair wind blew eastward, allowing Balris' ship to make the entire journey in just over four days. Throughout the journey Link managed to dodge the others on the ship mainly because the others knew they should keep their distance.

On the morning of the fifth day of the voyage the Frozen Fortress appeared over the horizon. The fortress rested on an island that stretched one hundred miles across at its widest point. The fortress was merely a large circular fifty-foot wall made of ice and encircled most of the island, with turrets every hundred yards. The wall occasionally left small stretches of beach or forest, but for the most part the wall prevented any vessels from landing. Beyond the ice wall the land was covered with snow and ice. The Blizzard Temple was located on top of a large mountain in the exact center of the fortress and within the temple laid the object Link sought.

"Finally," Link thought to himself as the island came into view, "I only hope I am not too late!" Balris' ship was fast approaching the Frozen Fortress when the crew heard a loud noise like thunder, the four companions turned their heads to the north from where the noise came and saw a large ship sailing towards them. The thunder was followed by a high pitched whistle and then the water on the port side of the ship erupted as if it were a geyser.

"What in the world was that!" Balris yelled as the ocean water splashed on his face. Another loud crashing sound and another eruption of water on the starboard side soon followed Balris's cry. Link turned his eyes to the south and spotted another ship fast approaching.

"Turn the ship to the port side!" Link cried.

"Are ye nuts?" Balris screamed, "The last thing we need is to get closer to either of those ships!"

"Those blasts are only going to get closer to sinking us if we hold our present course!"

Link retorted, "If you do not want to lose your ship do as I command!" Balris grudgingly obeyed and quickly changed course. The next shot careened just over the deck and fell harmlessly into the sea.

"Keep zigzagging!" Link ordered. "These ships must have been sent here by Ormek," Link thought to himself. "Whatever weapons these Tyfirians are using must be Ormek's creations."

Balris did his best to keep an unpredictable course, the ship's impressive speed managed to save itself from being sunk, but each of the Tyfirians' shots was closer than the one that preceded it.

"Head for the enemy vessel on the port side!" Link ordered after a few minutes of evasive sailing.

"Have ye lost it?" Balris yelled as another shot was fired. "We'll make ourselves easier targets than we already are." Link knew Balris' unwillingness to cooperate would be lead to the ship's eventual destruction, so he punched Balris in the stomach and knocked the wind out of him. He quickly took the helm and steered the ship towards the northern most ship. He kept a zigzag pattern, but it was much more predictable than Balris' course was. Balris tried to stand up in order to tear Link from the helm, but Link heard him coming.

"Touch me or the helm and I will kill you." Link said with a lifeless tone. Balris had no doubt Link was not lying, so he sat back down on the deck and began to massage the area Link hit. As Link sailed closer to the northern ship, the shots fired from that ship came closer to their mark, but the southern ship ceased firing in fear of hitting the other Tyfirian boat. Once Link's ship was within twenty feet, he grabbed his hookshot and fired it at the mast of the Tyfirian vessel. The hook lodged itself in the mast and pulled Link aboard. Moments after Link hopped ships, Balris' ship took a cannon ball through the deck. The force of entry blew out a large piece out of the boat's hull. The vessel was submerged within seconds. Balris, Chiron, and Vialla all abandoned ship unharmed and kept themselves afloat as Balris shouted whatever cursing he could think of at Link.

Link drew his sword and shield and sprung into action immediately after boarding the enemy ship. He quickly cut down the two Tyfirian seamen manning the two cannons, he lopped off the head of the first and ran the second one threw with his sword, but his enemies soon encircled him. Link fired his hookshot at the ship's mast again and was swiftly carried away from his foes. Link hit the deck running with his blade in hand.

About twenty Tyfirians were also on deck, Link knew he would fall quickly if he attempted to take all his enemies head on, so he applied the first rule of combat, capture the high ground. He made his way to the ship's riggings and began to climb up them to the crow's nest. Many of the Tyfirians rushed the riggings to catch Link, but Link was too fast. He reached the crow's nest before the Tyfirians were half way up the ropes. Link was then able to knock out the ship's lookout by bashing him in the face with a quick punch.

With his position set, Link reverted to his archery skills to pick of the Tyfirians as they climbed the ropes. After he killed two Tyfirians and wounded two more, the soldiers regrouped for an organized assault on the ship's mast. In the brief time the Tyfirians were regrouping Link noticed the second of the ships was now within an arrow shot of the first. As the Tyfirians began scaling the riggings again, Link realized he could not take all of his enemies down with arrows. He did not fire upon the Tyfirians during their ascent to the crow's nest, but instead was frantically scanning the ship for a way to escape. The only thing that caught his attention was the ship's cannon. He had previously noticed a small fiber dangling from the rear end of the cannon when he first boarded the ship. Link guessed the fiber was the cannon's triggering mechanism.

Link notched a single arrow and aimed for the rear end of the cannon. The tip of the arrow emitted a bright orange flame as he pulled back on his bow's string. Praying the arrow would find its mark he let his arrow fly. It landed very close to the cannon, but barely missed striking the explosive weapon. The Tyfirians ignored the shot and continued to climb. Seconds later a thunderous crash was heard followed by a deafening roar and bright flash of the second Tyfirian vessel blowing apart from the inside. Link's arrow had been right on target. It ignited the cannon's wick as it flew by, causing it to fire. Because of the close range of the second craft, the cannon shot plowed through the ship's hull and struck its munitions storage deck. Because of the vast amounts of bomb powder, taken from the famous bomb flowers, the ship was torn to shreds.

Much flaming debris blew from the second vessel and landed on the deck of the ship Link was on. The sails were soon engulfed in flame, and the Tyfirians advancing on Link's position began abandoning ship. Link soon realized the ship he was on probably also carried the same explosive powder the other one had, so he did as the rest of the Tyfirians and headed for the water. Link quickly climbed down from the crow's nest, but before he jumped from the burning boat, he noticed the familiar sight of a fleeing zora. He was dressed similar to the one he saw shortly after he found Calrith dead. Link began to pursue the suspected murderer of Calrith, but soon lost sight of him. Reluctantly Link gave up the search for the zora and abandoned the ship. Once he was in the water Link began swimming to the shore of the nearby island along with the few terrified surviving Tyfirians.

The first ship's mast cracked at its base and fell to the deck and ignited the ship. It exploded a short time later and threw even more rubbish into the water. As he swam through a sea of flaming debris Link searched frantically for Chiron and the others, but he could not find them. Link was left with no choice, but to make his way to shore and hope his companions would make it too.


	15. Chapter Fifteen: The Blizzard Temple

Chapter Fifteen: The Blizzard Temple

Link was able to out swim the Tyfirians to shore, but because of the number of Tyfirians still alive, Link was forced to run from the beach as soon as he reached land to prevent another skirmish with his enemies. Not far from the shore, Link found a small forest and took refuge in the trees. He walked about a mile into the forest before he stopped to rest.

Though Link wanted took look for his companions, he knew that would mean heading back towards the beach where all the Tyfirians were. While Link wanted to protect those who aided him thus far, he realized the best thing he could do for them was make sure his mission was a success and going back to face the Tyfirians would seriously lessen that chance. All he could do is pray his companions were safe and continue on his quest.

Link did not rest long; he sat beneath a tree for five minutes and then struck out on his journey to the Frozen Fortress. After Link traveled another mile towards the center of the island he came across the ice wall. The wall rose straight up from the ground, which made it impossible to scale. Link found nothing nearby that he could use to climb wall, so he decided to walk along its base.

After he traveled another three miles Link came across a portion of the wall he could see through. At this point the wall was made up only of ice, whereas the rest of the wall was composed of stone, which was coated by many icy layers, which gave it the appearance of ice. Link had found one of the many gates into the Frozen Fortress. Each gate was separated from the next by about twenty-two and a half miles of wall. Though the gate was frozen over, all Link had to do. The ice soon melted and the hero passed through the gate and entered the icy wasteland.

Link continued on his way to the center of the island, traveling across snowy plains until he reached the base of the mountain, ten miles from the fortress wall. As Link looked up to the mountain summit he was glad no one else was with him. The mountain seemed to shoot directly up out of the island. The ascent to the top of the mountain would be difficult and Link did not want to be slowed down by anyone like he had been while traveling through the Shadow Woods.

Without further hesitation, Link began his perilous climb. The slope was not as extreme as it first appeared, but the snow was very deep and could not support Link's weight, so the mercenary was forced to use his powerful limbs to plow through the snow every inch of the way. Link tired quickly, but he forced himself to continue up the mountain until dusk. Once the sun set, Link realized he was not prepared for the trek to the Blizzard Temple. He had no food, no water, and nothing he could use to build a fire. The lack of water was not a problem, for he was surrounded by it in its frozen form, but the lack of food and firewood promised to be major problems. The cold had not really bothered Link thus far, but once the sun set he found it difficult to focus on anything else.

For his first night on the mountain Link burrowed a small snow cave off the side of the path he was making. Though it was very cold Link managed to squeeze six hours of sleep out of the night. He awoke the next morning shivering. He rubbed his arms with his hands in an attempt to warm himself up. It was times like these that Link was glad he wore pants and a long sleeved coat instead of the Kokiri tunic of his younger days. Though Link's coat and pants were lightweight and the cloth was not very thick, it was quite effective in keeping his body heat in whenever it was cold out.

Link continued to plow through the snow and make his way up the mountain before the sun rose again, but the snow had become hard and icy during the night, which made Link's trailblazing much more difficult. Unfortunately the snow was still not hard enough to support his weight. Once the sun rose, the snow softened again and Link was able to pick up his pace. As Link progressed up the mountain the wind picked up and blew much harder than it did at the mountain's base. The wind chilled Link to the bone and he began to shiver violently as he made his way through the snow. Link stopped every couple hours to rest and warm himself up. Still he only rested for a few minutes each time.

Sometime around noon that day, Link noticed something off to the right of his trail. A large white wolfos was feasting on something it had killed. Though Link hated the taste of wolfos meat, he knew he could not be picky in such a situation. Link killed the wolfos with a well-aimed arrow. He cut a path to his prey's body and forced himself to choke down some raw wolfos meat. Luckily, the wolfos had just killed a mountain goat before Link killed the wolfos. After Link finished eating, he pulled the chain from his hookshot and disconnected it from the firing apparatus. He then tied up the wolfos and the goat and lashed them to his back. The two beasts together weighed seventy-five pounds, but Link easily carried them with him.

As Link climbed higher a dense fog fell upon him. He soon lost sight of the sun, but with the fog also came more snow. At first it fell only lightly, yet the light snowfall rapidly turned into a blizzard. Snow constantly flew into Link's eyes decreasing his ability to see, but he was not daunted from climbing.

While Link trudged through snow he wondered why the island was covered in snow. Based on its location, the isle should have had a tropical climate. On the main land it was summer, but at the Frozen Fortress it felt like winter. The truly strange thing about the island was, just outside the fortress wall it was warm. When Link passed through the fortress gate, he had instantly felt a temperature drop. Link arrived at the conclusion that some sort of curse must have been placed on the island in order to protect the Blizzard Temple and Soarlec's Talon from thieves.

About two hours before the sun set that day, Link noticed a sudden increase in the slope of the incline. The change was so drastic it seemed like another mountain grew out of the original mountain. Though the incline was much greater, Link found it easier to scale in some ways. The steep slope of the mountain caused most of the snow to slide off. Link was no longer forced to use his body to clear a path. However, the steep slope presented a new set of challenges. Almost every inch of the mountain was covered in ice. Link frequently slipped as he climbed. Also, the lack of snow prevented Link from digging a snow cave, consequently Link was forced to spend the night out in the cold with the wind constantly blowing on his back.

Link's second night on the mountain was the coldest night of his life. Fortunately, Link had the skins of the wolfos and the goat to use for warmth, but they proved to do little good for the hylian. Link found it impossible to sleep that night, even after the blizzard finally subsided, so he continued to scale the mountain in the dark. Link thought if he continued to move he would feel the cold less. The bitter cold did in fact seem less extreme to the hero as he climbed, so he climbed all night long. Though the darkness greatly limited his vision, the moonlight enabled him to continue his ascent.

Once the sun rose the next day and the air became warmer Link propped himself up against the mountain and fell asleep. He awoke only a couple of hours before dusk. Before Link continued the climb he ate some more wolfos meat and some snow. One fortunate side effect of the cold was it kept Link's food from decaying.

Once he finished eating, Link once again began to clamber up the mountain. He continued to climb after the sun left the sky. Halfway through the night, there was another sudden increase in the slope of the mountain. At this point the mountain rose up almost completely vertical. Before Link was only hiking up the mountain, he only occasionally needed a handhold to lift himself up. Now Link's journey had turned into a rock climbing expedition.

With the rocks covered in ice Link found it difficult to keep his grip strong. He was also constantly shivering. With his arms shaking involuntarily, he often lost his grip and was forced to pull himself up with the use of only one arm. Occasionally Link found a ledge large enough he could rest on, but as soon as he stopped the cold set in. Link tried to keep his mind of the cold at these junctures by thinking of other things. The main things he thought about were Chiron, Vialla, and Balris. He wondered where they went after Balris's ship sank. In all likelihood they swam for shore the moment the ship went down. The question was where did they go after that? Did they take refuge in the woods like he did or did they wait on the beach for him? Did the Tyfirians capture them? The mere possibility that they might have fallen into enemy hands gnawed on Link's soul. There was no telling what would happen to his companions if the Tyfirians got their hands on them.

As Link thought of the Tyfirians a great deal of rage swelled within him. The Tyfirians were causing countless Cyntirians to suffer because of their blockade. It was because of them that Link was at the Frozen Fortress. A sense of hatred for the Tyfirians began to brew within the Hyrulian. They were the ones after all who had killed Calrith and they may have already killed Chiron and the others. As he contemplated the possible death of his companions, Link realized the Tyfirians could not be blamed for what they were doing. Link wondered how many of the Tyfirians were like Ormek. How many of them actually wanted revenge on Cyntir. Link guessed that probably very few of them sought vengeance, most of them most likely wanted peace. It was people like Ormek who kept the war going people who refused to let go of their hatred, refused to let go of the past.

Refused to let go of the past, that phrase stuck in Link's mind like an arrow. He longed to let go of his past, but no matter how hard he tried he could not forget his adventures in Hyrule and Termina. The events that transpired in those places still haunted Link everyday of his life. He still had nightmares that Ganondorf would get free and terrorize peasants or the moon would fall from the sky and destroy the entire world. In those nightmares Link watched helplessly as the world fell apart around him. As the painful memories came flooding back to him, Link determined he needed to keep climbing to get his mind off his past. He simply could not tolerate his memories any more.

Link continued to scale the mountain until dawn, but he did not always move upward. He often found himself in a spot where he could no longer find any means of supporting himself on the mountain. Whenever Link came to such a point he had no other choice than to climb back down a ways and choose another path to scale. Once the sun rose Link climbed until he found a ledge he could rest on. Link tried to sleep, but the fierce wind and bitter cold prevented him from sleeping for more than a few minutes at a time. A just after noon Link stopped trying to sleep. As he stood up he looked down the mountain. Clouds surrounded the peak; Link could not see the base of the mountain nor the top. He began climbing the mountain once more, but before long the wind picked up again and the snow began to fall. A few times Link climbed into an area where he could no longer progress, but for the most part his journey to the top was fairly smooth. As Link came closer to the mountain summit his muscles burned. With every inch he climbed Link lost a bit more of his determination, but he forced himself to continue anyway. A few hours after the sun set that day, Link reached the mountain summit. The first thing Link saw when he pulled himself to the top was the Blizzard Temple.

The temple was made out of the same stone the mountain was composed of. In fact the temple had been carved right into the mountain. As Link stared at the temple he wondered what kind of race could build such a structure. The gorons were the only race he could think of that could survive on top of the mountain for an extended period of time, but gorons were to bulky to climb up a mountain as steep as the one the Blizzard Temple rested on.

The entrance to the Blizzard Temple was not visible to Link when he first arrived at the summit. He slowly made his way to the other end of the temple, but it was not an easy task. The building left very little walking space at the top of the mountain. Only about one foot of stable ground sprang out from the base of the temple. Link was forced to sidle his way around the structure's perimeter.

Once Link arrived at the temple entrance he sighed. He had finally reached his goal, but he was certain the trials awaiting him inside the temple would be far worse than those he faced on his way to the temple.

Link entered the temple with his sword drawn, half excepting an ambush. The first room in the temple was built like a cave, with both stalactites and huge icicles hanging from the ceiling. At the back of the room were three doors, one at ground level, and two just above the first with two curved inclines made of ice leading up to each of the doors.

Link sheathed his sword and removed the two animal carcasses from his back. He reassembled his hookshot and then passed through the ground level door. The next room was very long, but the floor only extended three feet from the door. Below the drop off laid dozens of sharpened icicles pointed toward the ceiling, ready to skewer anything that was unfortunate enough to fall on to them. In an alcove on the other end of the room sat a large metal plated chest. Leading up to the alcove were several ice blocks attached to the right wall.

Link charged the ledge and leapt onto the first ice block, but it was unable to hold up Link and it broke from the wall. The mercenary jumped from the first block and to the next just before he the first one fell. The second was no stronger and collapsed just like the first. Link managed to cross the sea of deadly icicles, but by the time he reached the other side of the room, the entire set of ice blocks had broken from the wall, leaving Link no way back to the door.

Without hesitation, Link opened the chest, in it he found a roll of parchment, on which was a map of the entire temple. "Great," Link thought to his self, "now if I could just find away back across the room I would be set." Link turned all his attention to scanning the room. Just above the door Link noticed a familiar shape, but it was covered by ice. Link shot a fire arrow at the irregularity and the ice around a grapple point melted away. Link used his hookshot to pull himself across the chasm unharmed.

Link re-entered the first room and immediately attempted to run up one of the icy inclines, but it was too slippery for him to make it up to the higher doors. He attempted to climb it again only that time he hit the icy ramp with a running start. He made it further up the incline, but he again slipped near the top and slid back down. He shot off the bottom of the incline with considerable speed and slammed his back against the other ramp. Link rubbed his spine and chuckled. He charged one of the inclines again, but this time when he reached the point where he no longer had enough speed to continue any further up the incline, he turned and started to run down the ramp. As Link reached the ground again he continued running, he hit the other frozen incline with even more speed than the first. Link's plan worked like a charm, he easily made his way up the second incline and reached one of the higher doors.

The next room was small; the floor was covered with snow and riddled with freezzards. Link quickly disposed of the ice beasts without even being touched by their frigid breath. After the freezzards were all dead, a small wooden chest appeared in the middle of the room. Inside Link found a key; he attached the key to his belt and left the room.

Link used the same technique of running down one incline and up another to reach the last door in the front room. As Link passed through the third door he felt another temperature drop. Link hugged himself in an attempt to stay the cold, but when Link studied the room he was in, he let his arms fall to his side as he gazed in awe at the size of the room. From the floor to the ceiling the cylindrical room measured two hundred feet high. A large spiral staircase ran from the floor around the walls of the room up one hundred eighty feet. The staircase was full of large gaps that were wide enough that no creature without wings could jump.

Link unfolded his map and studied it carefully. According to the map, the Blizzard Temple was made up of seven floors. None of the floors were very large, but the number of separate rooms promised to keep Link occupied for a long time. With a grunt Link made his way up the staircase. Atop the first section of the case was a door, chained shut. Link used the key he found earlier to unlock the door. From there Link made his way through three more rooms, melting ice with his fire arrows, shoving ice blocks around, and slaying a few ice keese along the way. At the end of the third room, Link found a small staircase. Link followed the stairs and found himself on the second section of the large spiral staircase in the temple's main hall.

Link continued up the stairs until he came across another gap. At every gap in the stairs, a door was close by, which led deeper into the temple. The excursion through the temple was long and arduous, but Link's will conquered any weakness within him that would prevent him from reaching the top. It took a day and a half for Link to reach the seventh floor of the temple. Link faced many other enemies and puzzles along the way as well as many frozen passages, which forced him to use up most of his arrows as fire arrows to melt the ice.

Because of the extent of the physical activity required to reach the top of the temple, Link often found himself perspiring. The deep cold quickly froze the sweat and left Link colder than he had ever been in his entire life. By the time he reached the seventh floor, Link's undershirt and pants were frozen to his skin in several places. His hands and feet were also beginning to exhibit the first signs of frostbite. Link breathed a deep sigh of relief when he finally stepped on the final step on the Blizzard Temple's grand staircase. From the top step Link turned his gaze to the temple ceiling. Encased in a large icicle was what appeared to be a curved dagger. Upon closer inspection, Link realized it was not a dagger, but the talon of a large bird.

"The Talon of Soarlec," Link whispered to himself. From the top step of the staircase Link had the only clear shot at the icicle in the entire room. He immediately drew an arrow from his quiver, which left him with only two more arrows, and strung his bow with it. He powered up the arrow with his magic and shot it at icicle. The ice melted away and the talon fell to the first floor. As soon as the talon hit the ground, the staircase began to shake and break apart. What Link did not know was the stairs were rigged to collapse if the icicle at the top of the room melted or broke. Link turned and began to run down the stairs before they fell from beneath his feet. Link was able to clear the gap in the stairs as he descended because he jumped from higher ground, which was only possible while going down the stairs. As the sections of the staircase hit the ground they broke though the floor which was made of nothing more than a thick layer of ice. Once Link made his way back to the second floor he threw himself from the steps and landed hard on the crumbling ground.

After the falling stairs had done their damage, only a circular platform of ice, connected to the wall in two places, was left. In the exact center of the platform laid the recently thawed talon. Link attempted to retrieve the claw, but before he reached it, a creature composed of ice that was roughly his size dropped from the ceiling and snatched the relic from the ground.

The creature looked like a large freezzard, but this beast possessed long appendages and its eyes glowed with a demonic red light. Before he did anything else Link fired his second to last arrow at the beast, but the ice demon was too fast. It leapt up in the air and easily cleared the projectile. It landed right in front of Link and took a swipe at him with its powerful claws. Link stepped back just before the ice beast struck him. He then took a swing of his own with his sword, but the creature simply performed a back flip and escaped unharmed. Link charged to attempt another swing, but the demon jumped back again and clung to the wall with its razor sharp claws. It then pulled back its head and shot forth a sphere of frigid gas at Link, who somersaulted forward to avoid the blast. Before Link got back to his feet the demon jumped from the wall and slashed Link's hand. Link dropped his sword and the demon kicked it away. The blade slid across the floor and finally came to rest with its hilt hanging over the edge of the platform. Link turned and ran for his sword, but the demon jumped over the hylian and cut him off before he got far. The demon then began to swipe at Link with both its arms and legs. Link managed to deflect all of the attacks with his shield until the demon caught the edge of the shield with a wide kick. The strength of the kick forced Link to extend his arms to maintain his grasp. The demon followed the kick with a powerful slash, which landed on Link's shoulder. Link's chain mail shirt provided little protection as the demon claw tore through the shirt and Link's shoulder. Link howled in pain and fell on his back. His blood gushed from the wound and was soaked up by his coat.

The ice demon pounced on Link and attempted to tear out his throat, but the hero held up his shield before the beast reached him. The creature landed on the shield, but Link was able to muster enough strength to push his shield away from him. The ice demon lost its balance and crashed to the floor, but was quick to recover. It jumped to its feet and flipped backwards several times and anchored itself to the wall once again. The demon then shot three more balls of ultra-cold gas from its mouth, which Link managed to dodge with much energy and effort.

Link tried to recover his sword again, but the ice beast let out another blast and knocked it over the edge of the platform. The creature then jumped back to the ground and charged Link, who quickly drew a bomb from his bomb bag and lit the fuse. He hurled the explosive at the ice demon before it got within ten feet. It changed directions before the bomb exploded and escaped unharmed. The demon then hopped to the center of the room. It breathed out a continuous stream of gas from its mouth and began to spin around on one foot. The circular motion turned the ice stream into a spiral that covered the entire surface of the platform. Link was left with no choice but to jump from the platform and cling to its edge.

After the stream of gas ceased the ice demon vaulted itself over to Link's position. It hoped to tear the hylian from the ledge, but Link was ready for him. The moment the ice demon landed in front of him, Link fired his hookshot at the demon's foot. The chain wrapped itself around the beast's leg and as it tried to jump to the nearest wall to escape, Link pulled on the chain and his enemy fell into the gap around the platform. Unfortunately the chain of hookshot wrapped around Link's wrist. The force of the falling demon pulled on the chain and ripped Link from the platform.

As he fell into the darkness Link saw the ice demon falling beside him. After a few moments of free fall the bottom of the pit came into view. Fortunately the bottom was a small hot spring full of water. Before Link plunged into the water he grabbed the demon and turned him towards the ground, so that he was able to use the demon as a shield to brace for impact.

Within seconds after the two warriors slammed into the spring the heat of the water melted the ice demon. As it dissolved it dropped Soarlec's Talon and the relic floated to the bottom of the twenty-foot deep spring. Link let out a thunderous cry of pain as his head emerged from the water. The hot liquid poured into his wound and caused him immense pain. The sudden increase in temperature was more than one hundred forty degrees Fahrenheit. For his first few moments in the spring Link could have sworn his skin was on fire. After a few more moments Link adjusted and would have enjoyed the warmth if it had not been for his shoulder wound.

As soon as Link reoriented himself, he dove down to the bottom of the spring and recovered Soarlec's Talon and his sword, which also had also fallen to the bottom of the spring. Link would have let out a victory cry upon picking up the talon, but he was unsure if he could get out of the pit alive. Because of the extreme cold and Link's wet clothes he would freeze to death in a couple of minutes if he attempted to leave the spring. Link sat in the spring for several minutes with no idea of how he could possibly escape. Link smacked himself on the forehead in frustration.

"This is it," Link thought, "I have come all this way to die in a hot spring." Just as Link was about to loose all hope he felt his hair and realized it was already dry. To his surprise the heat that radiated from the pool had dried his hair and cap. Link then slowly lifted a small section of his body out of the water. In a few minutes the section was dry and he raised more of himself out of the water. It took Link several hours to pull himself out of the spring completely using such a method.

Once he was out of the spring he surveyed the room he was in. He found one door that led out of the chamber. The passage led to another cylindrical room, but it was much larger than the previous one. It was so deep Link could not see the bottom. Link was at the top of the room, from that point a long four-foot wide circular ledge of ice wrapped around the inside of the room and led to the bottom with an extremely steep slope.

Link noticed that the room was significantly warmer than any other part of the temple, though it was still fairly cold. However it seemed that the ice in the room was beginning to melt. Link guessed the ice demon he destroyed was responsible for the frigid climate and with the creature gone the ice on the island was beginning to melt. Unfortunately the melting ice made the ice ledge even more slippery and impossible to descend safely on foot. Link contemplated how he could get to the bottom of the room for several moments. The only idea he came up with was to use his shield as sled and ride it to the bottom.

Link felt ridiculous trying to pull in his legs and sit in his shield, but it proved to be an excellent way to get to the bottom of the room. It was much faster than walking, but it was also hard to control the shield and Link almost careened of the edge several times. However, as Link advanced further into the depth of the room he learned to control his "sled" better. The deeper into the room Link delved the warmer it got. Soon Link started to feel comfortable again. However the newfound warmth caused the ice ledge to melt even faster. Before Link got to the bottom of the room the ledge cracked and started to collapse behind him.

Link quickened his pace down the ledge and though the falling ice was a lethal threat Link actually had fun as he narrowly evaded death. He succeeded in making it to the bottom of the room unharmed. By the time reached the base, Link had spent half of the day sledding. From the floor of the room Link found a passage to the outside. Once he exited the temple the mercenary was stunned to find that he was at the base of the mountain. He also noticed much of the snow on the mountain had melted off. In fact the passage Link used to exit the Blizzard Temple had only been cleared of snow within the past hour.

Link sighed with relief. He was quite glad he did not have to go back down the mountain. He knew climbing down the mountain would be far more dangerous then climbing up it. Link stared at the mountain for a moment and then lifted Soarlec's Talon above his head and let out a cry of victory. He finally possessed the means he needed to defeat Ormek.


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Back to Cyntir

Chapter Sixteen: Back to Cyntir

Because of the rapidly melting ice and snow, Link's journey out of the Frozen Fortress took only a fraction of the time the journey in had taken. Link made his way from the base of the mountain to the fortress wall in just over three hours. Link left the fortress through the same gate he entered and made his way back through the woods. Before long Link found himself at the same beach he landed on nearly a week prior. He returned to the beach hoping against hope he would find Chiron and the others, but when he arrived he found no sign of them. He ran up and down the beach in search of them, but they were nowhere to be found. However, Link did not find any trace of the Tyfirians either. The mercenary wondered if another one of their ships had picked them up.

Link sighed after an hour of searching for his lost companions. He knew he was not going to find them, now he feared their blood was on his hands. Link did not dwell on the probable death of his companions for long. Instead he diverted his attention to finding away off the island. Finding away back to Cyntir was his highest priority. With Balris's ship lying at the bottom of the ocean, Link was in desperate need of a boat. As Link was walking along the shoreline on his way back to the forest, he noticed a mass of washed up wood. As Link examined the wreckage he realized it was part of Balris's ship. There was quite a bit of the ship's wood on shore, enough for Link to build a small raft using some of the ship's rigging, which was tangled up with the discarded planks from the ship.

The raft was primitive and possessed no steering mechanism, but it was the best Link could do with the few materials he had. After Link finished building the raft he made his way back to the forest. The forest was made up mostly of palm trees, many of which had large coconuts growing on them. Link spent a while using his boomerang to knock the coconuts off the trees and gathered a sizable hoard and brought them back to his raft. Link would have brought some of the coconuts with him to the Blizzard Temple, but they were simply too large to carry effectively.

Once Link got back to his raft he cracked open the shell of one of the fruits and drank the milk inside. Because of the amount of liquid in each coconut Link did not have to worry about taking any water with him. The warrior then used one of his knives to cut out a piece of the fruit and he gladly gobbled it up. The sweet coconut was a pleasant change in taste in contrast to the awful raw wolfos meat. Link made two more trips into the forest to gather coconuts and then he set out on his way back to the mainland.

It was night by the time Link pushed his raft off from the island. He used one of the smaller planks to paddle his craft out to sea and fight the waves pushing him back to the Frozen Fortress. Link paddled his raft out until the waves no longer threatened to pull him back to his starting point. He then stretched himself out on the raft and fell asleep. He did not get much sleep though. Minutes latter something hit the raft hard and caused Link to tumble into the water. Link snapped awake as the salt water poured into his shoulder wound. Link screamed with pain and searched the water for what threw him overboard. He could not see anything so he started to swim for the raft, but something grabbed him by the foot and pulled him under the water before he got far. Once his head was underwater he saw it was a zora that pulled him under. Link looked at the zora for a moment and realized it was the same one that killed Calrith.

Link drew a knife with a six-inch blade from his belt and swiped at the zora, but Shrion let go and swam away. Link quickly made his way back to his raft and pulled himself aboard. He then wrapped part of the rope that held the planks together around his wrist and stayed low. Seconds later the zora jumped out of the water and on to the raft.

"Greetings traveler," the zora said with a bow, "I am Admiral Shrion of the Tyfirian navy. You are here by under arrest for entering into restricted waters and the destruction of two Tyfirian ships." Shrion eyed Link carefully and laughed. "The other Tyfirians said the one who destroyed my ship had undoubtedly drowned or frozen on the island. How glad I am that I decided to wait for you instead of heading back to the mainland like the rest of my crew. Otherwise I would have never got this chance to kill you. The others said I was crazy for waiting and left with your little friends. Now your fate will match that of your companions." With that Shrion dove back into the water.

A short time later the raft was hit again, but Link was tethered to his craft and managed to hang on. Shrion hit the raft two more times, but Link held fast and prevented himself from going overboard. When he failed to knock Link of the watercraft the zora threw himself on to the raft again. He popped out of the water with his sword drawn, he immediately brought his weapon down on Link, but his blow was deflected by Link's shield. Link then drew his sword and took a swing at Shrion, but the zora jumped back in the water before he was struck.

Link determined he could not beat his opponent with his sword alone, so he sheathed his blade and drew his bow. He waited for Shrion to strike the raft again and then he drew his last arrow. He carefully tracked the zora and waited for him to ram the raft again. As soon as the amphibious man charged Link fired his arrow, which struck his target in the back. Shrion surfaced moments later and cursed at Link.

"That's for Calrith!" Link yelled.

"Agh, you won't get away with this," the zora cried. "You may have gotten past me, but your little friends are doomed." The zora coughed and blood spilled from his mouth. Link pulled him out of the water and held his knife to his enemy's throat.

"What have you done with them?!" Link demanded. It took every last ounce of his self-restraint to prevent himself from quickly slitting the throat of the man responsible for the death of Calrith, one of the only people Link considered a friend, albeit not a very close friend, but as close of a friend he had.

"Ha," Shrion chuckled, "We captured them as soon as they made it to shore. They were taken aboard one of our ships shortly after."

"What do you plan to do with them?!" Link asked coldly as he tightened his grip on his knife.

"We have strict orders to kill anyone we find out her," the zora replied weekly, "I wouldn't be surprised if they are already dead. And it's only a matter of time before you join them."

"You will be dead much sooner than I will," Link said as he watched the blood pour rapidly through Shrion's wound.

"Ha," Shrion laughed, "I have no regrets. I just wish I could have been the one to take you down. It doesn't matter though, you can't stop the Tyfirians now. By now our ground forces have no doubt taken the Strait of Cyntir. It won't be long until we topple the last Cyntirian stronghold."

Link tightened his grip on his knife and pointed its tip at Shrion's throat. He contemplated slitting the zora's throat. "He deserves it," Link thought to himself, after all he and his men had killed countless innocent bystanders passing through the Strait of Cyntir. However Link could not bring himself to do it. In a way Link pitied the man, he was like the rest of the Tyfirians, he was only following orders. The zora then began to twitch and stopped breathing. Link pushed the body off the raft and collapsed on the deck and slowly let out a deep breath.

"They are dead," Link thought to himself, "they are dead because of me." Though Link was deeply disturbed by the news of the capture and imminent death of his companions, he still drifted back to sleep rather easily. After all, he had not slept in days.

Link awoke with the dawn the next morning. He immediately began paddling with a northbound bearing. The whole day he dwelt on how he let his companions down. He kept beating himself up about not going back to the beach after the shipwreck. He knew he could have saved them, but it was too late. All Link could do now was make sure he defeated Ormek.

Towards the middle of the day, Link removed a needle and some green thread from a pouch on his belt. He used the thread to mend the tear the ice demon ripped in his coat in the Blizzard Temple. The stitching was a bit sloppy, but it was sufficient to repair the mercenary's coat. Link always kept a sewing kit with him at all times, for his clothing was constantly torn in battle. He had repaired his clothing countless times and it showed. Hundreds of stitches held Link's only set of clothes together.

Link propelled his raft forward for nine days. The journey bored Link out of his mind and he was amazed when he found himself longing for the companionship of Chiron and Vialla and even Balris. Link usually did not like having other people around including people he liked. Ever since he returned from Termina, he never liked being around others in any circumstance. He simply preferred to be alone. Link could not believe how attached he had become to his comrades.

During the rest of his journey Link frequently went over Admiral Shrion's last words. He said the Tyfirians had captured the Strait of Cyntir and that the last Cyntirian stronghold would soon fall. This meant Ormek was close to destroying Cyntir and Link was running out of time to complete his task. Link's awareness of his rapidly shrinking window to defeat Ormek allowed him to row his raft with the speed of five men, but his progress was severely inhibited due to the primitive structure of his craft.

Before the end of the ninth day of rafting, the Cyntirian shore came into view. At that time Link wondered why he had not run into any Tyfirian ships. When Link left Cyntir on Balris's ship, there had been many ships patrolling the waters which he and his group had to avoid, but this time he did not find any. Link soon beached his craft and began to travel along the coast heading eastward.

Two hours after sunset, Link saw East Port Town over the horizon. He ran the rest of the way to the city, hoping to find an inn he could spend the night at, but when he arrived, any thought a sleep vanished from his mind. East Port Town was void of life; there was not a single soul in the streets or in any building, however the streets were riddled with the bodies of hundreds of Cyntirian soldiers. Many of the smaller buildings were lying in heaps, some of which were on fire. Link peered inside several of the buildings in search of people and supplies, but he found neither.

"Ormek must be behind this somehow," Link thought to himself as he continued to search the abandoned city and navigate his way through the slues of lifeless bodies. Most of the carcasses wore armor and it was apparent that the majority of the dead hylians were soldiers. As Link delved deeper into the city he noticed many more smoldering buildings, but fewer corpses. By the rubble of one of the decimated buildings he heard the faint moan of a man. He immediately began digging through the rubble to find the source of the noise. Before long he uncovered a man whose legs had been crushed by the ruined building.

"What happened here?" Link asked the man.

"The Tyfirians," the man uttered. "Th...th...they attacked a few days ago. From the north. We tried to defend ourselves, but then. Then. Then the ships landed and unloaded another army. We never had a chance."

"Are there any survivors?" Link inquired with a soft voice.

"The...the," the man pointed northward but did not speak again. Link checked the man's pulse, but it was gone the man was dead.

"I am too late!" Link yelled and slammed his fist into the ground. A single tear rolled down the warrior's cheek as he slowly lifted himself to his feet. He looked north to Tyfiria and said in an exasperated voice, "I have failed!"

"No," Link thought to himself, "The rest of Cyntir may still be standing strong. If I can defeat Ormek there may yet be some hope. I have to find out if the rest of Cyntir has been conquered." Link did not know much about the geography of Cyntir, but he did have a general idea of where the Cyntirian capital was. It was somewhere in the northeast corner of the nation. Link figured if any Cyntirian city still stood it would be the capital.

Without further hesitation, Link headed north out of the city. The hero was worried that he would arrive at the Cyntirian capital too late. After all, the city was at least two hundred miles away and he would have to go the entire distance on foot.

Fortunately, Link did not have to walk the whole way. Soon after he left East Port Town Link found a Cyntirian horse, which had run away during the battle at the city. Luckily the horse was not frightened of Link and he was easily able mount it. The horse had not been harmed in its escape and it also carried with it all sorts of food supplies.

"If I did not no any better, I would swear this horse was sent by the gods," Link said. "This is the end of the road Ormek!" Link yelled as he kicked his horse in its side and rode off.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: The Calm before the S...

Chapter Seventeen: The Calm before the Storm

As Link made his way to Cyntir's capital he came across several Cyntirian horses missing their riders. He ignored the steeds and continued riding northeast. Though Link did not know exactly how to get to Cantarus, Cyntir's capital, he was aware of its general location relative to the shore. Cantarus was Cyntir's greatest stronghold and could easily withstand an onslaught of twenty thousand soldiers when filled to capacity. East Port Town on the other hand was an easy target. Due to its ever-growing population, East Port Town was always building and increasing the area of the city. For that reason no walls were ever built to protect it, but a fifteen-foot thick wall as well as a moat surrounded Cantarus.

Link was confident the city would still be intact, though with the Triforce of Knowledge under Tyfiria's control there were no guarantees. It took Link seven days to reach Cantarus on horseback. He could have reached it in five, but it took him two days to search the plains around Cantarus to find the city.

He arrived at the city's main drawbridge two hours past noon. The city was indeed intact, however it did not seem prepared for an attack. Link wondered if the Cyntirian king was even aware of the fall of East Port Town. Link had no problem entering the city. He was not even given a second glance by a city guard.

Cantarus was a gargantuan city; it made Hyrule Castle Town look like an insignificant village. In the center of the metropolis stood the Cyntirian king's palace. The palace was surrounded by another fifteen-foot thick wall complete with the Royal Cyntirian Guard, Cyntir's finest and best-trained troops.

Link headed directly for the palace, though he was not sure if the king knew about the Tyfirians' assault on East Port Town, he had every intention of informing him in any case.

"Halt!" The Cyntirian guard at the palace gate belted as he saw Link approaching.

"I need to see your king," Link told the guard.

"Civilians are not allowed past this point," the Cyntirian said mechanically.

"I am no civilian," Link growled, "I would wager I am ten times the warrior you are. Regardless I have urgent news for the King."

"If you're not a civilian what are you?" the guard inquired.

"I am one of the Calrigan mercenaries," Link said with a hint of irritation in his voice. He knew the guard was not planning to let him past anytime soon and he was anxious to make sure the Cyntirian king was prepared for a Tyfirian attack.

"Our great ruler does not associate with mercenaries," the guard stated, "besides Cyntir does not need help from any outsiders. We are strong enough to defeat our enemies on our own."

"Thousands of citizens of East Port Town would disagree," Link snapped.

"What do you mean?" the soldier asked with confusion.

"You have not heard then?" Link questioned angrily. "East Port Town was taken by the Tyfirians and rather easily as well."

"We have received no news of such an attack," the Cyntirian said with fear in every one his words.

"That is because the Tyfirians did not leave anyone to inform you," Link said coldly.

"You lie!" the Cyntirian retorted.

"Look, I do not care if you believe me, but you must tell your king," Link ordered. "East Port Town is likely only one of your cities which have been destroyed. If you do not prepare yourselves, Cantarus will be next." Though the Cyntirian was uncertain of Link's allegiance he ordered a near by soldier to cover his post while he went to inform the king.

Once the guard was gone Link dismounted his horse. He impatiently waited for the first guard to return for what seemed to him like an eternity. After waiting for nearly an hour the guard reappeared.

"The king has granted you an audience," the Cyntirian said with a trembling voice, "follow me." The guard led Link past the main palace gate along a road lined with stone and past several other guards. Once inside the king's palace Link was amazed with its grandeur. The ceiling was at least fifty feet above the ground. The structure was built out of a fine white marble. The halls were lined with dozens of solid gold vases with all sorts of exotic plants placed inside them. Large statues of past Cyntirian kings were scattered all throughout palace, but there was a large concentration of them in the main hall. The ceiling was decorated with hundreds of friezes depicting Cyntir's history.

"Nice place you have here," Link said to his guide. The guard remained silent and continued down the grand hall. Towards the end of the hall, the decorative ceiling went completely blank. There were no more friezes, but there was clearly room for more. Link guessed the carvings had reached the present day in Cyntir's history. He carefully studied the last carvings. They portrayed a great battle between the Cyntirians and Tyfirians. The Cyntirians all appeared to be great warriors, but the Tyfirians all had demented faces and were hunched over. The frieze showed the Tyfirians retreating into the mountains with the Cyntirians cheering.

"That is not the story I have been told," Link thought to himself as he gazed at the historically inaccurate carvings. What Link did not know was the Cyntirian king had attempted to alter history. He ordered all of his historians to record the war with their former slaves as a victory. Though nearly every Cyntirian knew that the Tyfirians were triumphant in the last war, effectively winning their freedom, the Cyntirians proclaimed they had been victorious and banished the treacherous slaves to the north. Many Cyntirians preferred to lie to themselves about their defeat, especially the soldiers. In the last battle of the first war the Cyntirians had outnumbered their enemies ten to one, but still lost because of a brilliant strategy on General Ormek's part.

King Talrid led an attack on Cyntir castle with nine tenths of the Tyfirian army, but they possessed an insufficient number of soldiers to take the castle. The battle did not last long, the Tyfirians fled after losing a few hundred men. The king of Cyntir then hastily ordered the majority of the castle garrison to follow their defeated foes and destroy them. However, this order left the capital severely vulnerable, for with out the garrison it was essentially unprotected.

Once the city's defenses were gone Ormek led a squad of his best men, who were already in Cantarus posing as citizens, into the king's palace and kidnapped the monarch. Meanwhile the Tyfirians, who pulled the Cyntirians from their king, took shelter in the mountains. When the Cyntirians attempted to attack they were bombarded with arrow fire and rock slides produced by the Tyfirians who were impossible reach while hidden high up in the mountains. The Cyntirians were so overwhelmed by the fire from above, the Tyfirians easily managed to flank them while they tried to defend themselves from the falling objects overhead. The Cyntirians retreated, returning with only four men for every ten that journeyed into mountains, while the Tyfirians suffered very few losses.

The Tyfirians then used the captured Cyntirian sovereign to negotiate a release of all slaves in Cyntir. The king of Cyntir would not accept the loss, so he claimed he banished the Tyfirians instead.

"Your weapons," the guard said once he reached a large set of doors.

"What?" Link asked, still looking up at the ceiling.

"We can not allow you to see the king if you're armed. Link nodded and reluctantly handed over his sword, shield, bow, and quiver of arrows, bomb bag, hookshot, boomerang, and a large knife. However, Link did keep a long knife hidden in one of his boots for good measure. Once Link was supposedly disarmed, the guard nodded to the two nearby royal guards and they opened the massive doors. Link entered a large room with a dozen widows and many decorative banners hanging from the walls. At the rear of the chamber sitting on a padded gold throne was King Latimar of Cyntir. He was a large man, not one to miss many meals. He wore a gold crown on his brow encrusted with various jewels. He was dressed in scarlet robes and held a scepter in his right hand. He was slouched over when Link entered the room. He stared at Link intently with a cruel scowl on his face as the warrior approached.

Link knelt on one knee and bowed his head once his guide ordered him to halt. "From what my servant has told me you bring news of the destruction of East Port Town," the king said calmly.

"Yes your majesty," Link said as he raised his head and returned to his upright position. "I was in East Port Town not a week ago. It has been completely destroyed."

"Impossible!" Latimar barked. "I would know if such an event had occurred."

"No one was left in the city," Link explained "The Tyfirians must have captured or killed the entire populous. There would have been no one left to inform you, your highness."

"It's better than I hoped," the King muttered to himself. "We have not received word from any of our seaports recently, including South Port Town at the strait. Many of our inland cities have been silent as well." Latimar then focused his gaze on Link. "You say the town was destroyed?"

"Yes," Link replied, "most of the buildings were leveled."

"Liar," the king barked. "If the Tyfirians attacked they would have occupied the city instead of destroying it." Link had not thought about that. The Tyfirians' movements were strange to say the least. In all likely hood the Tyfirians had destroyed all of Cyntir's major seaports, but had not captured them.

"Check your ports if you wish," Link replied coolly, "I would wager they have all been decimated."

"How could the Tyfirians advance a force large enough to destroy our ports without anyone seeing them." The king asked no one in particular. No one answered. "Send a small reconnaissance team to South and East Port Towns, Captain." Latimar ordered a nearby soldier whose armor was the most decorative in the room. The soldier nodded and left the chamber.

Once the captain left the king cracked a smile and let out a little chuckle. Link was confused by this gesture. He thought the king would have been saddened or at the very least angered by the news of the possible loss of several of his cities, but Latimar actually seemed happy.

"With all due respect," Link said after a moment of his silence, "would your highness mind telling me what is so humorous."

"Why its quite simple, my dear boy," Latimar said, "Cyntir has been under a lot of pressure to leave those foul Tyfirians to themselves. Many of our allies looked down upon our keeping slaves. Since I banished the Tyfirians to the north, my allies have disliked the idea of me finishing them off. If they have indeed attacked first, I'll finally have a reason to obliterate them and my allies will aid me in doing so. Say boy, you're a mercenary, correct?" Link answered in the affirmative. "Good," the King said, "I'd like to order some troops."

Link shook his head, "They would never make it in time," Link said.

"In time for what?" Latimar asked curiously.

"For the coming onslaught on Cantarus," Link answered.

"Are you trying to tell me the Tyfirians are planning to attack us here?" the king chuckled.

Link thought of Ormek and the hatred he saw in his eyes at the Temple of Knowledge. Though it was only guess at this point, Link was confident, Ormek would attack Cantarus. So far his tactics seemed to be destroy everything Cyntirian. It was only a matter of time until Ormek brought the fight to Cantarus.

"I am quite confident the Tyfirians are planning to attack this city," Link said boldly.

"Ha," Latimar said amused, "then they will be defeating themselves. Cantarus is impenetrable. Besides there are not enough Tyfirians on this continent to take this place."

"That may be so," Link said, "but General Ormek is extremely resourceful. He may be able..."

"Never mention that name in my presence!" the King screamed and stood up. "That man has caused me more trouble than he's worth! I should have killed him when I had the chance. That bastard cost me an alliance with the King of Acromiar! Acromiar has the largest army in the world and they could have been at my disposal if hadn't been for Ormuck. Not to mention he has humiliated me more times than I can count. He is the scum of the earth and a fool if he thinks he can defeat me."

"Still," Link interjected, "You must prepare for battle."

"We are adequately prepared as we are." Latimar said boldly.

"No you are not," Link pleaded, "Ormek is much more dangerous than you realize."

"Who are you to give me advice?!" the King yelled, "One Cyntirian soldier is worth ten Tyfirians. Guards remove this man from my audience chamber at once." The royal guards quickly swarmed around Link and carried him out of the room. They threw him out the door and picked him up again. They escorted him to the palace gate and flung him to the ground along with his equipment.

"That went well," Link groaned as he picked up his gear and himself. Link slowly made his way back to the city contemplating his next move. Link found it difficult to think clearly, he was filled with anger directed at Latimar. He was disgusted by his disregard for his own people. Latimar was actually glad the Tyfirians had attacked his people, just so he would have a reason to attack Tyfiria.

When Link talked to Chiron back at his ranch, the farmer only had good things to say about the king of Cyntir. He often told Link how righteous Latimar was, but it was apparent to Link that the only reason Chiron thought Latimar was a good king was the fact that he never met him. Contrary to what Chiron said before he was claimed by the Tyfirians, Cyntir did want to bring other nations into the war, they were just having trouble doing so. Link started to see that the war was not as one-sided as he had been led to believe.

Link then realized how similar Ormek and Latimar were. Neither would rest until the other was destroyed. They were so full of hatred for the enemy nation that they were willing to throw away the lives of their own people for their warped causes.

This realization forced Link to rethink what he was fighting for. Latimar was no better than Ormek, so why should he try to help Latimar. His question soon answered itself. Ormek was a lot more dangerous than Latimar, not to mention a great deal more intelligent. Besides, Ormek possessed the Triforce of Knowledge, which made him a threat to more nations than just Cyntir.

Link removed Soarlec's Talon from its pouch on his belt and stared at intently. Ormek was so much more dangerous than Latimar, Link even doubted that he could defeat him. After all, the last time he tangled with Ormek, the Tyfirian wiped the floor with him and Chiron and did not even break a sweat. As Link thought of Chiron he clenched his fist over the talon. Chiron died trying to help Link defeat Ormek as did Balris and Vialla. Link knew their lives as well as the life of Calrith would be wasted if he failed to stop the Tyfirians.

Link realized his next move should be to find Ormek and defeat him, but instead of looking for the general he decided to stay put. He was certain the Tyfirians would attack Cantarus soon and Ormek would be leading them. That would be his chance to use Soarlec's Talon to return the Triforce of Knowledge to its rightful place and seal it away forever.

Once Link made it back to town, he started looking for an inn to stay at, but realized he had no money. The only thing he had of any value was his horse, but he thought he might need it later, so he hung on to it. Link spent the night in an alley. He got very little sleep that night. He kept having nightmares, not that that was anything unusual for the hero. He had nightmares nearly every night, but these nightmares were of the grim executions of his lost companions and the imminent massacre of Cantarus, which were not like his usual nightmares of the moon falling and wiping everyone out.

Link awoke before the sun rose the next morning utterly exhausted. He felt like there was a hole in his stomach. He was very nervous, more nervous than he had been in years. Link hated waiting for his enemy to come to him. It was always Link who went after his enemies. At least when he did that he knew when the fight would take place, but with waiting for his opponent he had no idea.

The entire day Link's mind was a blur. With nothing to do but wait for an attack, he was left to his thoughts. He watched as the people of Cantarus as they went about their daily chores, completely unaware of their approaching doom. Link had seen such people before during his earlier adventures. They went on with their lives while he frantically tried to save them and after he saved them they were completely unaware anything had changed. Link wondered what it would be like to be one of them. Only worrying about making enough money to buy food instead of trying to rescue the world from the clutches of evil. He wondered what it would be like to be happy. Link put such thoughts out of his mind, for he knew thinking about being normal would only make him more miserable.

Link spent the day wandering through the streets of Cantarus, trying to think of a way to defeat Ormek, but the more he thought about it, the more nervous he became. He could not help, but think about what would happen if he failed. Cyntir would be destroyed, that was certain, but Link knew it would not end there, something whispered to him that there was more at stake than he could see.

His first full day in Cantarus was completely uneventful. Link spent another uncomfortable night in the same alley. He found the second night even more difficult to sleep through than the first, but he finally drifted off to sleep at about two in the morning. He awoke the next day to the sound of a thunderous horn. Cyntirian soldiers throughout the city responded and they all made their way to the city's outer wall.

"Prepare for an attack!" one of the soldiers shouted as he passed Link. The Tyfirians had arrived.


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Link vs Ormek

Chapter Eighteen: Link vs. Ormek

Link mounted his horse and forced it to run all the way to Cantarus's outer wall. Once he reached the barrier, he dismounted and followed a mass of Cyntirian soldiers up a flight of stairs to the top of the wall and around the city's perimeter to the southeast corner of Cantarus. Link expected to see a huge mass of Tyfirian soldiers marching toward the city, but what he saw was nothing like he imagined. Only about five hundred Tyfirian soldiers were in the surrounding field. The small number of troops actually frightened Link more than if he had seen five thousand men. Ormek would only have sent such a small force to attack Cantarus if he had some brilliant plan that could not fail. Link drew his sword and shield and readied himself from what would no doubt be an interesting battle.

The number of Tyfirians soldiers was actually closer to two thousand, but they were split up into four groups of five hundred and were all approaching the city from a different direction. Link could only see one of the four groups because of the vast circumference of the Cantarus's outer wall. While Link hoped to engage General Ormek from his current position he was at the wrong end of the city. Ormek led the group of men that approached from the northeast.

"This is the day we have been waiting for all of our lives," Ormek called out fiercely as he rode his horse in front of his squadron. Ormek was dressed in the standard blue and grey of Tyfiria, yet the rest of his men were clad in strong armor. Ormek wore only a chain mail shirt beneath his outer coat, his shoulder armor that indicated his rank, and a pair of steel wrist guards. Most of his men thought he was grossly under equipped for an invasion on Cantarus, but Ormek was confident no Cyntirian could harm him. He decided to trade in his armor for speed and agility. Normally that would be considered ludicrous, but the Triforce of Knowledge had already increased Ormek's reflexes by three hundred percent. Armor would only inhibit the general from using his lightning quick reflexes.

"Today," Ormek continued in an authoritative tone, "today we have a chance to avenge the hundreds of years of enslavement that our ancestors and even we ourselves were forced to endure! The nation of Tyfiria, under the guide of the highest-ranking military officials including myself has to date destroyed every other major city in Cyntir and captured their inhabitants. Our prisoners are on their way to Tyfiria to be dealt with accordingly.

"The city you see before you is the last stronghold of our loathsome, slothful enemies. If we take it today, Cyntir will be defeated and the Cyntirians' land will be ours! We have already taken South Port Town and control the Strait of Cyntir, that is to say the Strait of Tyfiria! Once we emerge victorious today we will rule over our former masters the way they once ruled over us!

"I admit, we are outnumbered here, but we have something the Cyntirians do not have. Courage, valor, and the favor of the gods." Ormek then held up his right hand and let the symbol of the Triforce of Knowledge shine through his gauntlet. "Not to mention several of my new inventions. We can not fail today. Today justice will be served."

Ormek drew one of his swords and pointed it towards the castle guard atop Cantarus' defensive walls and shouted, "Open fire!" Upon his command five cannons of Ormek's design were wheeled to the front of the ranks and fired. They unleashed a barrage of bombs aimed at the soldiers defending the wall. Soon after the other three battalions fired their cannons as well.

Link heard the familiar thunderous sound and instantly knew what would follow. He ducked behind the battlements just as the bombs flew from the cannons and blew many Cyntirians off the wall. The defending soldiers were thrown in to a panic, they immediately fired their arrows at the invaders, but none of the projectiles even came close to hitting their marks. The Tyfirians were too far away. Several seconds passed by with out another Tyfirian cannon salvo, in which time the Cyntirians regrouped atop the wall.

"Get off the wall!" Link shouted to the warriors, knowing there was nothing they could do while the Tyfirians stood back and that another barrage was on the way. The Cyntirians ignored Link and stared at their enemies. Another thunderous noise reached Link's ears followed by a whistling noise. He ducked again and a dozen more soldiers were blown from the battlements. Blood stained the stone where the Cyntirians once stood. A few Cyntirians had the sense to abandon their position and fled, but the rest stayed put and another cannon salvo killed another group of soldiers. A few of the Cyntirians again tried to hit their attackers with their arrows, but the majority of the defenders attempted to get off the wall.

The steps leading up to the battlements were not wide enough accommodate such a vast number of retreating men and many of the soldiers were trapped on top of the wall waiting for a chance to get down. The next time the explosion ringed from the cannons, many of the cornered Cyntirians hurled themselves off the wall into the moat below to escape being blown to bits.

Before long Cantarus' outer wall was left without a single guard standing to defend it. Link hid himself on the wall behind the battlements, awaiting the Tyfirians' advancement of their troops. Once the wall was clear, Ormek gave the order to cease the cannon fire.

"Attack!" Ormek ordered. The Tyfirians rushed the virtually defenseless wall. The cannons were wheeled closer to the city along with the rest of the troops, but it required the strength of four men to push the explosive weapons. Once the Tyfirians reached the moat they dropped several platforms into the water. The platforms were one of Ormek's inventions. They were designed to float on top of the water and also connect to other platforms by a series of hooks located on one side of the wooden squares. The first platforms were hooked to the ground around the moat and then another platform was hooked to the end of the first. The Tyfirians used the floating scaffolding to build a bridge to the base of Cantarus's wall.

Once the Tyfirians were within firing rage a hand full of Cyntirians returned to the top of the wall and let their arrows fly. Many of the arrows hit their marks, but few of the hits were fatal to the Tyfirians. One of the cannons was fired again and quickly put down two the renegade archers. Link lifted his head up and saw the cannons were now within an arrow's shot. He drew an arrow from his quiver, which he had replenished with the arrows of a fallen Cyntirian. He powered up a fire arrow and shot it into the muzzle of one of the cannons. The weapon exploded and killed the Tyfirians manning it as well as those who were close by.

More Cyntirian archers made their way to the top of the wall and let lose their arrows. More Tyfirians fell, but they returned fire, using longbows, another of Ormek's innovations. Longbows were six-foot long and could pierce plate mail even from the base of the wall. When the wall was clear again, the Tyfirians brought out tall ladders and ran them across the newly formed bridges. They planted them at the base of the wall and hoisted them up against the structure.

At the northeast part of Cantarus, Ormek jumped on top of one of the ladders as it was lifted up. He drew one sword and threw himself to the wall before the ladder crashed against it. He landed next to three Cyntirian defenders and quickly killed all of them with three quick cuts and a smile on his face. Once his enemies were dead, he drew his other sword and led his forces down the stairs leading down to the ground. They were met with more Cyntirian resistance, but Ormek along with the help of his troops forced them back. The Cyntirians were both amazed and terrified by Ormek. It seemed that every time one of his blades fell one of their brothers was killed. Still the soldiers attempted to overwhelm the general once he reached the bottom of the stairs. They swarmed around him and tried to attack. Ormek would have fallen had it not been for the rain of arrows fired by the general's men from atop the wall. Most of the Cyntirians were struck dead by the arrows and those that were not, were cut down by Ormek.

The Cyntirians soon fell back into the city and away from the wall, while the Tyfirians located the controls to a nearby drawbridge and opened the gate allowing the remainder of one of the four the invasion forces to flood into the city. The northwest and southwest corners of Cantarus fell a short time later, but Link managed to rally the troops in the southeast.

At first the Cyntirians were reluctant to follow someone who was obviously not one of their own, but when Link managed to throw an advancing Tyfirian of the wall and topple one of the siege ladders they took courage and followed the mercenary's lead. The Cyntirians stormed the battlements and forced their enemies off. They threw down the Tyfirian ladders whenever possible and soon they recaptured the wall. Many of the ladders broke when they hit the edge of the moat or sunk beneath the water all together. However, as soon as they achieved that small victory one of the Tyfirian cannons fired again. The blast killed three more Cyntirians as the other cannons were prepared to fire.

Link shot another flaming arrow at one of the cannons, but missed his mark, he shot another arrow in the same manner and destroyed another cannon. Link drew yet another arrow, but he heard a deafening crack and instinctively hurled himself to the ground. Moments later the area where he had previously been standing exploded and hurled stony debris in every direction. The cannons continued to fire at the wall until the Tyfirians succeeded in lifting up their assault ladders again. The Tyfirians soon swarmed up to the battlements and engaged the Cyntirians.

The battle was fierce and bloody with dozens of proud warriors falling on both sides, but the Cyntirian soldiers' desire to defend their families eventually gave them the edge as they once again drove their foes back. However, as soon as the Tyfirian soldiers retreated the cannons opened fire. This time the Cyntirians did not abandon the wall, they drew their bows and rigged up some flaming arrows as quickly as they could and fired them at the large firearms. One more of the cannons exploded after three arrows simultaneously found their mark. With their two other cannons in danger of being destroyed and most of their siege ladders broken or beneath the water of the moat the Tyfirians broke up and went to reinforce two of the other invading platoons.

"Ha, take that ya dirty slaves," one of the Cyntirians called out. The soldiers were busy congratulating themselves when a rain of arrows was fired at them from within the city. Many of the arrows hit the Cyntirians and most of them that landed proved fatal. The defenders were enveloped in confusion they blindly fired the arrows into the nearby streets and hit nothing. Another volley of arrows emerged from the city and killed a dozen more soldiers.

"I knew it was not going to be that easy," Link said to himself as he held up his shield and sidled down the stairs leading to the ground. As he did so two arrows bounced off his shield and fell harmlessly to the ground. Atop the wall the Cyntirians were disorganized and were easy targets for the hidden Tyfirian longbowmen. Only a few soldiers had the sense to get off the wall and take refuge in the city. The hidden archers were from Ormek's company and were following orders to clear any remaining soldiers from the perimeter to ensure they did not get blind sided during the next phase of the invasion. The relentless fire from within the city soon whittled the Cyntirian resistance down to a sparse two dozen soldiers who fled into the city streets.

Link was one of the first men to take cover in the streets of Cantarus. He ran through the alleys with his eyes peeled for Tyfirian soldiers. He searched the city for several minutes and ran into only one archer. As he turned a corner the archer fired an arrow at Link and missed only by an inch. Link responded with an arrow of his own that hit the archer in the shoulder and dropped him to the ground.

Link then stopped for a rest and contemplated his situation. Cantarus was overrun by Tyfirians and would no doubt be destroyed before nightfall. The Tyfirians' new technology was too much to compensate for, not to mention the overall lack of soldiers needed to successfully push the Tyfirians back. Cantarus was doomed, but not all hope was lost. Link knew if he could defeat Ormek, his conquest could not continue past Cyntir, but also there was a chance Cyntir could be restored. However, Link did not know where Ormek was. Link looked over the tops of the buildings and spotted the tallest spire of Cyntir Castle. Undoubtedly, the Tyfirian invasion would not stop until Cyntir Castle was destroyed and the king was captured or killed.

Link decided he would have the best chance of finding Ormek at the castle and ran for the king's residence. When he arrived he discovered Cantarus' inner wall was already under attack. About eleven hundred Tyfirian soldiers were already surrounding the wall with six hundred patrolling the streets rounding up civilians and taking them as prisoners. The Tyfirian cannons had massacred the Cyntirian defense. Three hundred Tyfirians were killed in the assault, but roughly four times as many Cyntirians were lost. Needless to say Ormek's plan was working perfectly. For an attack on an enemy stronghold losing fewer men than the defending force was a remarkable achievement, not to mention four times fewer. However, the assault on Cyntir Castle was not likely to have the same results. Because of the bulky size of the explosive weapons the cannons could not be maneuvered through the city safely and thus the Tyfirians were without their greatest advantage.

As Link ran towards the inner wall he saw dozens of siege ladders already propped up against it. Dozens of Tyfirians were engaged in combat with the Cyntirian Royal Guard and although the Tyfirians were out numbered atop the wall they were able to force their enemies back with the aid of much crossbow fire from the Tyfirians at the wall's base. Link was bewildered by the how fast the Tyfirians reloaded their weapons. Reloading a crossbow was usually a very time consuming act in battle, simply cranking back the string could take dozens of seconds, but the Tyfirians could reload in just under three seconds. This ability was a result of yet another of Ormek's inventions. The crossbow used a spring loaded cocking mechanism, which grabbed the string and pulled it back into place when activated.

Link did not stop to watch the Tyfirians for long; he jumped back into the battle almost immediately. He pulled out a couple bombs from his bomb bag and hurled them into the midst of a group of Tyfirians gathered at the base of a siege ladder. The bombs exploded and threw Tyfirians every which way. Link bolted up the ladder before anyone had the chance to make sense of the explosions.

Atop the wall the battle had turned into dozens of individual duels. Link was easily able to weave his way through the combatants to a set of stairs. He began to descend, but was fired upon by a Cyntirian. Link wanted to smack the soldier with the back of his hand, but he knew he was not dressed in the uniform of either Cyntir or Tyfiria and was consequently a target for both sides. Link retreated back to the top of the wall and engaged a Cyntirian in battle. He tried to tell him he was on his side, but he would not listen and continued to attack. Link had no choice but to take the soldier down. He brought down the hilt of his sword on his opponent's head and knocked him out cold. As soon as the Cyntirian hit the ground a Tyfirian who Link easily managed to defeat attacked. Link continued to fight both Tyfirians and Cyntirians for several minutes and even killed a couple of the Cyntirians who were bent on his death.

Link stayed atop the wall fighting everything that moved until a group of Tyfirians opened the gates and the remainder of the Tyfirian forces poured in. Link watched helplessly as the Tyfirians rushed Cyntir castle using their longbows and crossbows to shoot their enemies from the battlements. The Tyfirians maneuvered a large battering ram through the gates of the castle and immediately began pounding on the castle doors. Before long the Tyfirians broke through and poured into the stronghold. Link ran for the castle the moment it was breached. He weaved passed more pairs of Cyntirians and Tyfirians struggling to kill one another, dead bodies of countless soldiers, and the severed limbs of others.

Once Link made it off the wall he made a mad dash across the small field that separated the castle from the inner wall. He dove into the castle as arrows from both sides narrowly missed him. Link headed straight for the king's throne room. He passed dozens of groups of soldiers who were busy fighting the opposing faction. Most of the soldiers were too busy to bother to attack or follow Link, so he made it to the throne room with almost no resistance. Inside the chamber he had been thrown out of only days before, Link finally found what he was looking for. Near the king's throne that had been tipped over during the battle, Link saw Ormek fighting three Cyntirians. Though he was outnumbered Ormek managed to kill all three of his opponents with two powerful slashes of his swords.

Behind where the king's throne had previously stood was a doorway, which led to a case of stairs. With his enemies dead, Ormek hastened up the stairs and Link chased after him. Link ran up three flights of stairs before he found himself on one of the castle's walls. Like the rest of the city, soldiers were everywhere fighting to avoid death. Not far from the top of the stairs Link saw Ormek and Latimar dueling. It was obvious the Cyntirian king was not fairing well. He had a large gash across his forehead and he was kneeling as though he had been stabbed in his right thigh. Latimar desperately tried to stab Ormek with sword, but the Tyfirian general knocked every strike away with the one sword he had drawn.

Ormek laughed as he saw the terror in his prey's eyes. "What's wrong Latimar, can't you kill a weak slave?" Ormek chuckled. Latimar stabbed at Ormek once again, but his sword was met with a powerful blow from Ormek's blade and was knocked away from the king. Ormek grabbed Latimar by the collar of his silk clothing and forced him to his feet. "Where is your mighty Royal Cyntirian Guard now?" Ormek growled as he pressed the edge of his sword against king Latimar's throat. "Your tyranny ends now!" Ormek yelled. He was about slit the monarch's throat when Link shot an arrow at him. Without turning around, Ormek hurled himself to the ground and landed on his back. The arrow whizzed past him only an inch from its mark.

Ormek quickly leapt to his feet and faced his assailant. "Link?" he said in amazement, "You are still alive? I must admit, I am impressed. Tell me boy, did you make it to the Blizzard Temple?" Link smiled and pulled the Talon of Soarlec from its place. "I underestimated you," Ormek said with a look of puzzlement. "You survived the subzero temperatures of the Frozen Fortress, the deadly climb to the Blizzard Temple, made it past my best ships, and lived through my invasion of Cantarus. You truly are remarkable person." Ormek looked back at Latimar and then smiled cruelly at Link. "If I had an army of soldiers like you Tyfiria would be unstoppable. Why don't you give me that little trinket of yours and join me? Help me defeat these foul Cyntirians and I will reward you with your weight in our captured gold."

"Riches do not interest me," Link said defiantly, "only making things right does."

"All the more reason you should join me then," Ormek growled. "These cursed Cyntirians ruled over my people for six hundred years. They treated us like dung, and forced us to work to build up their kingdom and what did we get? A lifetime of imprisonment along with the countless murders of our people, not to mention the games they played with us to amuse their own sick appetites. This monster especially," Ormek said as he pointed his sword at Latimar, "This beast spent the lives of hundreds of slaves to uncover a city in the desert that does not exist. He is responsible for the death of my entire family and all the lost years of my life and the lost years of everyone in Tyfiria.

"My point is Link," Ormek continued, "It is time the Cyntirians were brought to justice. They can not be allowed get away with committing such atrocities against my people. Besides, if I do not destroy the Cyntirians, they will eventually come after my people again. I can not allow that. If you desire to set things right you will join me or at the very least stay out of the way."

"I can not do that," Link said coldly, "Yes, your people were mistreated, but that does not justify destroying an entire nation."

"Mistreated!" Ormek yelled, "What do you know of the torment of my people!?!" At that moment Ormek eyes faded to the darkest black, his voice became deeper, and it also seemed to Link that another metallic voice echoed the same words Ormek spoke. For a split second the space directly around Ormek became distorted, as if the light around him was bent. The general clasped his forehead with one hand and fell to one knee. The sudden change that took place in Ormek paralyzed Link and chilled him to his very core. A few moments later Ormek returned to normal and stood up once again. "With all due respect, Link," Ormek continued in a much calmer tone, "You never witnessed the mass killings of my people nor did you see them beaten daily for not being able to work at a pace no mortal could meet."

"I have seen what you have done to the Cyntirians," Link said, "and I would say, you are no better than those you seek to destroy." Ormek scowled at Link upon hearing Link's recrimination of him. He punched Latimar in the jaw and knocked him out cold. He then drew his other sword and rushed towards the Hyrulian. Ormek moved so quickly, Link barely had enough time to respond. He drew his own sword and shield and turned away Ormek's first lunge. Ormek was quick to attack again, but his slash was deflected by Link's shield. The Tyfirian's swords then turned into a blur. This time Ormek was not going to toy with his enemy like he had before.

Link once again found himself defending against the merciless onslaught of General Ormek. He found it was near impossible to launch an attack of his own and was forced the stick to defense. His arms were burning and his response time was slowing. Link knew he could not beat Ormek in a straight out sword fight, so he decided to try other weapons. The first opportunity he saw Link blocked both of Ormek's swords and pushed the general away from him. Link dropped a few steps back and sheathed his sword and replaced his shield on his back. He then pulled out his bow and strung an arrow. He fired it, but Ormek ducked it when the projectile was mere inches from striking his torso. Link fired another three arrows, all of which missed, but managed to drive Ormek back. Before Link could fire another shot Ormek pulled a small knife from underneath his gauntlet and threw it at the hero. The knife struck Link on his right forearm. The sudden burst of pain caused the mercenary to drop his bow.

Ormek charged again, but Link managed to draw his boomerang and toss it at his attacker. Ormek dodged the boomerang, but it bought Link enough time to pull out a bomb and light it. In one fluent motion, Link snatched his returning boomerang out of the air and chucked a bomb at Ormek. The bomb landed next to the Tyfirian and exploded. The blast knocked Ormek off his feet, but he managed to throw his weight and get back up before Link could dish out another bomb. Ormek advanced again, and again Link threw his boomerang. However Ormek managed to knock the weapon out of the air with one of his swords. Link tossed three more bombs at Ormek, but the Tyfirian was as fast as lightning. He swerved and darted and avoided the first two blasts. The last bomb he managed to hit with another throwing knife and the weapon exploded in air, but because of his and Link's proximity to the bomb both men were blown back. Link got back to his feet first, but Ormek was soon to follow. Ormek was about to slash at Link once again, but the hero whipped out his hookshot and fired it at a wooden post putruding from the castle wall. The chain pulled Link away from his enemy and dropped him a safe distance from his opponent.

Ormek bent over and the waist and took in several deep breaths. He shot an angry glance at Link and groaned. "You are a much better warrior than I thought, Link," Ormek wheezed. Link was glad to see Ormek fatigued. It was the only sign he had seen that showed Ormek was not invincible. After a few seconds of rest Ormek sprang back into action. He stepped over Latimar and charged again as Link threw another bomb at him. Ormek hit the explosive with one of his knives and it detonated. Before Link could light another bomb, Ormek came down on him with his swords. Link managed to get his shield up in time and blocked the blades. He drew his sword once more and the battle reverted back to a sword fight.

Link once again found himself unable to attack. The magic of the Triforce of Knowledge allowed Ormek to respond his movements too fast. At that moment, Link realized what he had to do to defeat Ormek. He had to do something the Tyfirian was incapable of doing himself, use magic. Link backed away from his enemy and assumed an odd stance, he made a few motions with his hands while Ormek watched, interested in what his opponent was doing. He was shocked to see a dome of fire form over Link. Ormek performed a back flip, but when the dome expanded he was caught in the flame. Parts of Ormek's clothing caught fire, but he dropped to the ground and smothered the flames.

Ormek was undaunted by the fire, he rose to his feet and attacked again. Link was still tired from the sword fight and knew he would not fare well once the fighting started up again. He made more motions with his hand and was surrounded by a large blue crystal. It formed just as Ormek swung at Link who did nothing to block the attack. Ormek's blades crashed against the magic barrier. Link stood unharmed and took a swipe at the general. Ormek blocked the blow and attacked again, but Link was not harmed.

"What manner of man are you?" Ormek asked exasperated. Link did not respond, but instead attacked. Ormek was forced to go on the defensive for the first time for the entire battle. Link attacked relentlessly, but could not brake past Ormek's twin blades, though he did manage to get close several times. Ormek kept defending until Link's magic barrier faded he then sheathed one sword and put all his strength into one downward swing with the other. Link blocked the blow with his own sword. Ormek grabbed Link's wrist and the two warriors were locked in a battle of strength.

"You are indeed a great warrior, Link," Ormek grunted, "You must tell me the secret to your power." Link said nothing and remained in a sword lock with the Tyfirian. Before long the symbol of the Triforce of Knowledge began to glow through Ormek's gauntlet. The General looked at the symbol confused until he saw the symbol of the Triforce of Courage appear on Link's left hand. Ormek slid his sword out of the blade lock and backed away.

"Link, the Hero of Time!" Ormek said as he stepped back. "Of course, that is how you managed to retrieve the talon. How did I not see it before?"

"You know who I am?" Link asked in shock.

"Of course, great hero," Ormek replied and saluted Link. "In my search for the Scepter of Sokor my journeys took me to Hyrule Castle. While I was there I spoke with someone who knew of your exploits. A sheikah woman told me all about your journey across time and how you defeated the King of Evil. I must say, I have often hoped to run in to you. It is unfortunate that we met on such ill terms. Allow me to again insist that you join me in my quest to destroy Cyntir.

"I will not join you," Link replied, "I can not overlook all the people you killed in your insane quest. Besides, you have upset the balance of the Sacred Realm by stealing the Triforce of Knowledge. It must be returned to its rightful place."

"In due time," Ormek said, "After I exact justice on the Cyntirians I will have no use for the relic. If you wish for me to return it at that time, I will do so, but not a second before."

Link was taken aback by Ormek's statement. He never expected Ormek would willingly give up the Triforce of Knowledge under any circumstances. The hero looked intently at his opponent. It was odd, but he did not sense the same evil in him that he had only minutes earlier.

"My task is almost complete," Ormek continued, "Cantarus is the last standing Cyntirian city. Once it is destroyed Cyntir will belong to Tyfiria."

"And what will you do with the Cyntirians you captured?" Link asked. As Ormek opened his mouth to respond Link felt the evil in the Tyfirian increase once more.

"We can not risk the Cyntirians organizing themselves and revolting. Therefore they will all be exterminated," Ormek answered.

"I will not let that happen!" Link said heroically.

"Link, you do not understand. You have not seen what I have seen!" Ormek said, "No one has. No one understands. No one can understand." Ormek's words sparked something inside Link. He knew all too well what it was like to have experienced things no one else could comprehend. Link was compelled to ask Ormek what it was that he could not understand.

"The Triforce of Knowledge," Ormek said as he stared at the back of his hand and the symbol of the Triforce. "The Triforce of Knowledge has opened my eyes. It has shown me every slave that ever served in Cyntir. I have seen an innumerable amount of my ancestors killed at the hand of my enemies. I have watched them suffer at their masters hand. I have seen them whipped, beaten, ravaged, starved, and murdered. I have seen thousands of injustices against my people and will not tolerate them! If I could show them to you, I have no doubt you would join me."

Link stared at his own hand and marveled at the power of the fourth Triforce piece. He wondered how it could show Ormek such things. There were still many aspects of the Triforce of Knowledge Link and even Ormek did not understand and that is what made it so dangerous.

"Join me, Link" Ormek proceeded, "with the combined power of our Triforce pieces, we can rid the world of the evil Cyntirians and from there we can bring the rest of the world to justice."

"Can you not see it," Link protested, "The Cyntirians wronged your people yes, but not all Cyntirians are like Latimar. By destroying Cyntir you will also be responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people."

"There is no such thing as an innocent Cyntirian," Ormek said in a metallic voice as his eyes darkened. Another chill went through Link and the Tyfirian attacked. Ormek went ballistic; he swung his swords with unequaled speed and strength. Link did his best to defend himself, but it seemed Ormek tapped into a new source of power.

Link was about to lose his control over his sword when the sound of a loud horn blared through the air. Ormek withdrew from the battle and gazed out over Cantarus. Beyond the city walls he saw an approaching army of some three thousand troops. Link turned to the south and saw a familiar sight, a band of Calrigan mercenaries.

"Retreat!" Ormek cried out at the top of his lungs to his troops that were within an earshot. "Some unknown enemy army approaches from the south! We must fall back! We have Latimar, the day is won!"

While Ormek was distracted with the new threat, Link sprang into action. He put away his weapons and pulled out the Talon of Soarlec. He pointed the relic at Ormek and read the inscriptions on the talon. Though Link had never seen the letters before, he was somehow able to read them and understand them. When he was finished with the chant, the Talon was surrounded with and orange flame, which fired a beam of fire at the general. Ormek fell to the ground and grabbed his right wrist. He fought the extraction process as best he could, but he could feel the Triforce of Knowledge leaving him. Link smiled and thought his journey would soon be over. However, before Link could finish returning the Triforce of Knowledge to the secluded part of the Sacred Realm, he heard a high pitch screech. The sound caused a surge of pain to course through the hero's ears. He dropped Soarlec's Talon and the beam of fire popped out of existence. The talon bounced off the hard stone floor and tumbled off the edge of the battlements. Slowly, Link's vision blacked and he lost consciousness.

Ormek growled as the screaming stopped and he sluggishly rose to his feet unaffected by the noise. "It's about time you got here," Ormek said as Shriek flew over to him and landed on his shoulder.

"Looked like you were in trouble," Shriek chuckled. "That green guy sure is tough." Ormek ignored the fairy and looked at the back of his right hand. The symbol of the Triforce of Knowledge still glowed with a brilliant gold light.

"Thank the goddesses," Ormek sighed in relief. He then walked over to Link. He held one of his swords to the hero's throat and froze.

"What are you waiting for?" Shriek asked, "Kill him." Ormek's hand trembled as he contemplated killing his foe.

"I can not kill this man," Ormek muttered, "not while he is unconscious. He is deserving of death in battle, but.... He is the only one capable of defeating me. It would be a mistake to let him go." Ormek still held his blade over Link's throat. The general was paralyzed. He did not want to kill Link, but he found it near impossible to pull his weapon away.

"Hurry up!" Shriek pleaded, "That other army is coming, we have to go."

Ormek's eyes flickered black as his sword pressed harder against the mercenary's throat.

"I ...can't," Ormek whispered. He fell to his knee and dropped his sword. He clutched his forehead and took a deep breath. A few seconds later Ormek stood up and retrieved his sword. He then walked over to the unconscious Latimar and hoisted him over his shoulder.

"You on the other hand I will not be so merciful to," Ormek growled and sped away with his prisoner.


	19. Chapter Nineteen: The Return of the King

Chapter Nineteen: The Return of the King

Syrus let out a puff of smoke from his mouth as he watched the sun set over Tamerec, Tyfiria's capital, through a window in Tyfiria Castle. He stared at his pipe and thought about how General Ormek discouraged smoking and other such things. He said pipe smoking was a filthy habit that the Tyfirians picked up from their former Cyntirian masters and that such things should be abolished to help establish the distinction between Tyfirians and Cyntirians. Normally Colonel Syrus upheld all of Ormek's teachings, but the general had been acting strange recently and Syrus was questioning many of Ormek's viewpoints.

Ever since Ormek stole the Triforce of Knowledge from the Sacred Realm the general had changed and those changes concerned Syrus. He was stunned when Ormek removed King Talrid from the throne, but what Ormek did after that worried him even more. He more or less, lied to the Tyfirian people, leading them to believe Cyntirians had murdered Talrid. He said this in order to boost the number of men enlisting in the Tyfirian military. Ormek's plan went off with out a hitch. Almost every able bodied Tyfirian man in the nation joined the armed forces. With the immensely larger army, Ormek launched a large-scale offensive against Cyntir.

According to the reports Syrus received, the campaign was going remarkably well. South Port Town had been captured and nearly every other major Cyntirian city had been utterly destroyed, with the exception of Cantarus. However Syrus knew, the invasion of Cantarus was the last city scheduled for annihilation and the reports from the raid there would no doubt arrive soon.

Colonel Syrus, unlike most of the rest of the Tyfirian army, had not gone to battle. Instead Ormek ordered Syrus to stay behind and watch over Tamerec. The job was lacking in glory, but it left the colonel with plenty of time to think, especially when one of the military units returned from invading a city. Each unit returned with hundreds or even thousands of Cyntirian captives. Syrus looked at the fear and pain in the eyes of the Cyntirians who were torn away from their homes and family and he questioned just how pure Ormek's intentions were and his own loyalty to the man. Before he genuinely believed Ormek was looking out for Tyfiria, but now the general was filled with a malicious intent and was bent on the utter destruction of Cyntir.

Syrus stood up and walked through the castle with no particular destination in mind. He was torn by his current position. He wanted to conquer Cyntir and take the strait, but he did not want to keep the Cyntirians as slaves or do whatever it was Ormek planned to do with them. He was also worried that Ormek's conquest would not end with Cyntir. The general seemed to have recently developed and unquenchable thirst for power and land.

Syrus lost himself in his thoughts and wandered aimlessly until he found himself outside of Ormek's office. He opened the door and slipped inside. He pulled down on a candlestick and opened the secret passage behind the bookcase. He made his way through the passage until he came to Talrid's cell. He relived the two guards on duty and entered the cell.

Talrid's hands were chained and raised above his head. The disposed leader was dressed in his tattered royal garments, which had gathered an abundance of filth during his imprisonment. Talrid slowly lifted his head up and scowled at Syrus as he entered.

"Come to inform me of the progress of your plans, colonel?" Talrid asked sarcastically. Syrus remained silent and stared at the king with a blank look. "Not going well?" Talrid smirked.

"On the contrary sire," Syrus answered. "Ormek has developed a number of new weapons and battle strategies, while boosting the amount of men enlisting. He has only Cantarus left to conquer and the whole of Cyntir will be ours."

Talrid sighed and shook his head. "And what of the Cyntirians?" he asked somberly.

"They've been rounded up and taken to a camp a hundred miles north of Tamerec," Syrus responded. "They are to be made slaves upon the conclusion of the invasion."

"Well it looks like you'll get your precious revenge," Talrid said.

"I never wanted revenge," Syrus admitted, "at least not this way. I only wanted the land we rightfully deserved. Removing the Cyntirians was a necessary part of obtaining that land."

"Allow me to ask you Syrus," Talrid said, "are the Cyntirians deserving of being forced into of a life of slavery."

"Why not?" Syrus asked, "They did it to us."

"That does not justify us doing the same," Talrid replied.

"I know," Syrus replied as he looked sympathetically at Talrid. He did not speak for several minutes until he finally said, "And you are not deserving of this imprisonment." Syrus unhooked a ring of keys from his belt and unlocked Talrid's shackles. He helped the King to his feet and assisted him out of his cell.

"You know," Syrus said to his king, "It wasn't originally Ormek's plan to turn the Cyntirians into slaves or to remove you from your throne. I never thought it would go this far."

"That doesn't matter now," Talrid said, "We have to stop Ormek from completing his designs. Round up all the troops that have returned from Cyntir. We march at dawn."

Link awoke with a splitting headache. He groaned as he sat up. He looked around to find himself still atop the Cyntir Castle battlements. Link could not see another soul anywhere around him. The hero rubbed his throat and discovered a small cut. The battle between himself and Ormek came rushing back. He was about to extract the Triforce of Knowledge from the Tyfirian when he lost consciousness.

"He had me beat, why did he not kill me?" Link wondered. Link reached for the Talon of Soarlec, but it was not there. "He took it," he gasped. "Wait, no I dropped it. It fell from the battlements." Link stood up and rushed to the bottom of the castle. He passed several Royal Cyntirian Guards, but they were too busy running around themselves to pay any attention to him. Once he reached the base of the wall he frantically searched the area for the talon. After more than a quarter-hour of looking, Link found the relic. He sighed in relief as he placed the talon back in his satchel.

"Thank the Goddesses," Link said to himself. He wondered why Ormek did not take the talon for awhile, until he remembered the advancing army. Before the end of his and Ormek's duel, Link saw an army of his own band of Calrigan mercenaries approaching from the south. Link immediately headed south in search of his legionaries. On his way through Cantarus Link saw very few Cyntirian soldiers and almost no civilians. Out in the field Link spotted a number of smoldering cannons that the Tyfirians had destroyed upon their retreat. The cannons were too heavy to take with them, and they did not want to risk their new weapons falling into enemy hands, so they simply destroyed them. Camped just outside of the southernmost part of Cantarus's outer wall, Link found the Calrigans. He made his way through the camp until he ran into one of the mercenaries he had met before.

"Hey Link," the Calrigan called out, "the C.O. is looking for you."

"Looking for me?" Link said confused, "how did he even know that I was here?" The mercenary shrugged and led Link to the commanding officer's tent.

"Link, I'm glad to see you're still alive," a tall man said as the Hyrulian entered the tent.

"Why are you here?" Link asked abruptly.

"It's nice to see you too," the man replied.

"My apologies General Erigad, but I did not think any of our men were in this region." Link said.

"There weren't until a few days ago," Erigad answered. "Me and my men were on our way back to base, cause we recently finished an assignment, when were attacked by three Tyfirian ships. They managed to sink about seven of our ships by the time we captured all of them. They used an explosive weapon I've never seen before. Anyway, on one of the ships we found a few prisoners. Once we told them who we were, one of the prisoners said he knew you and that you were in Cyntir. He told us you were trying to stop some Tyfirians from conquering Cyntir. He told us Cyntir would help us out if we helped them. I figured we could get some business from this place, so I ordered my men here. Looks like we got here just in time too.

"What was the name of the man who said he knew me?" Link asked in an excited tone.

"Uh, I don't know," Erigad said, "but he's wandering around camp somewhere."

"Bring him to me," Link ordered, hoping the man they found was who he thought he was. Erigad motioned to the mercenary who guided Link to him to find the man.

"By the way Link," Erigad said, "I thought Calrith was with you. Where is he?"

"Calrith is... he is dead," Link said sorrowfully.

"A shame," Erigad replied, "He was good man, a good mercenary."

"How did the battle go from the outside?" Link asked trying to change the subject. He simply hated remembering the death of his comrade.

"It didn't," Erigad said, "the Tyfirians turned their tails and ran as soon as we arrived. They already did their damage by the time we got here. They killed most of the soldiers and took a few hundred civilians as prisoners."

"Why did you not chase after them?" Link barked.

"Hey man," Erigad said, "We weren't even here to fight, we were just looking for employment. The Tyfirians ran thinking we were gonna take 'em on, but we weren't gonna attack or nothin'.

"We have to go after them," Link said urgently, "how many troops do you have with you?"

"'Bout three thousand," Erigad answered, "but we're not going after anyone if we don't get paid."

"Do you ever think about anything other than money?" Link asked angrily.

"Sure," Erigad answered, "Women, power, the whole lot." Link growled and continued to argue with his superior officer. They proceeded to quarrel until the Chiron walked into the tent with Vialla and Balris close behind.

"Hey kid," Vialla called to Link, "Where have you been?" Link gave a half smile unsure of how to respond to those he thought were already dead."

"We were beginning to worry about you Link," Chiron said. Link simply grunted as if to say, why. He wanted to tell them how happy he was to see that all three of them were okay, but he could not get the words out of his mouth. Besides, he was too concerned with going after Ormek.

"Hey, boy," Balris said in a huff, "ye owe me a ship."

Link groaned and said, "You never actually got me to the Frozen Fortress. I owe you nothing."

"Why ye sneaky lil'," Balris started.

"Erigad, do you think you could give this miser one of the Tyfirian boats you captured?" Link asked.

"Tell ya what Link," Erigad said, "You get us some work here and I'll give him one of the ships."

"Fine!" Link growled and stormed out of the tent.

"Where are you going?" Chiron called out as he followed after Link.

"I am going after Ormek," Link said, "and I do not have time to stick around and chat. Erigad, get me a horse." The mercenary general nodded and ordered one of his soldiers to bring him a horse.

"Link, I'm coming with you," Chiron said bravely.

"No, Chiron," Link shot back, "You have already dodged death too many times. I am about to go up against an entire army with no reinforcements. There will be no returning from this mission. Besides, there is no help you can offer me at this point that I can use."

"Hey, Chiron protested, "who was responsible for getting the Calrigans to drive the Tyfirians back? You never know how I could help next time. C'mon Link. You have to let me help kick Ormek's butt."

"I said, no Chiron!" Link shouted, "You are not a soldier, now go home and hope Ormek does not come after your ranch." Chiron shook his head in frustration and stormed off.

"It is for your own good," Link said under his breath as his friend walked away. Link turned north and stared of into the distance blankly until a mercenary approached him with a horse. Link mounted and sped off after the Tyfirians.

He did not get far before he heard the clopping hooves of a horse approaching him from behind. Link turned to see Chiron on a horse galloping towards him. Link kicked his horse and the animal picked up speed, but he could not lose the rancher, he was too good of a rider.

"I told you not follow me," Link growled once Chiron eventually pulled up along side him.

"Look Link," Chiron protested, "back in the desert, I promised I would help you defeat Ormek. That's a promise I mean to keep."

"I made a promise too," Link said calmly, "to your parents. I told them I would bring you back safely. Chances are, I will not be coming back from this fight and if you come with me, you will share the same fate."

"You can't stop me from fighting for my country," Chiron said coldly. "I'll go after the Tyfirians without you then. Don't you see Link? I'd never be able to live with myself if I stayed behind."

Link looked intently at Chiron, one of the only friends he had. He saw a fire in Chiron's eyes that he had seen in Ormek's eyes as well. It was the fire of hatred. Link could see Chiron wanted revenge on the man responsible for decimating his homeland and for that reason, Link knew he could not bring Chiron with him. He did not want the thirst for revenge to consume his friend the same way it consumed Ormek.

"I know you want to help," Links said somberly "but I must face Ormek by myself. He is far more dangerous than you realize. There will be a time for you to fight for Cyntir, but this is not that time."

"I will not go back," Chiron said resolutely.

Link shook his head and said, "Then you leave me with no other choice." He then forced his horse to collide with Chiron's. He pulled back his fist and planted a punch in Chiron's chest. The Cyntirian tumbled of his horse and landed on the ground with a thud. Link then drew his sword and smacked Chiron's horse with the blunt side of his blade. The steed bolted and Link kicked his horse's side and sped off, leaving Chiron with no means to follow him. By the time Chiron managed to get up and catch his horse Link was gone.

"I hope you can understand someday," Link said to himself as his friend dropped out of sight.

Ormek's eyes drooped as his weight shifted. He snapped back to alertness and stopped himself from falling off his horse. The general groaned as he sat up straight. He and his troops had been marching northward for over two weeks with only minimal sleep every night and both Ormek and his men were dead tired. Ormek looked back at his troops and their prisoners and smiled. After the Tyfirians sacked Cantarus they rounded up a few hundred of Cyntirians and took them captive. They would have taken all the Cyntirians, but the Calrigan army appeared before they could get every last one. However, they managed to capture king Latimar, which was the only prisoner they really needed.

"Ormek abandoned his position at the front of the convoy and dropped back to the prisoners' locality. The captives were kept in one mass and were surrounded on all sides by the Tyfirians. Ormek picked out Latimar and scowled at him.

"Mingling with the commoners are we, Latimar?" Ormek scoffed. Latimar did not respond. He just kept marching. Ormek did not feel much like gloating, so he continued on his way to the back of the convoy. From there he surveyed his troops. Fourteen hundred men survived the assault on Cantarus and they had taken about seven hundred prisoners. Though the battle went well, Ormek did not react to the victory like he expected he would. His confrontation with Link at Cyntir castle bothered him. Several times during the fight Ormek felt another presence in his head. The other presence was strong enough to force its will on to him and after Shriek knocked Link out, it almost forced him to kill the hero.

Ormek knew that the other was actually the Triforce of Knowledge. He felt its influence on his mind the instance he took it. It immediately began altering his mode of thinking and was still in the process of doing so, but back at Cantarus it seemed to be fighting him. It tried to change Ormek's code of honor and force him to kill Link while he was defenseless. At that moment he realized how much he had changed and he was no longer certain the Triforce of Knowledge was safe to hang on to.

Still, the Triforce piece allowed him to conquer the whole of Cyntir and such power was not easy to come by. Ormek stared at the golden triangles on the back of his hand and then looked at his captives. He was torn about what he should do. After all, if Cyntir's allies retaliated he would need the Triforce of Knowledge to fend them off.

Ormek stayed at the back of the convoy until the evening when a pair of scouts reported to him. "Sir," one of the scouts said, "We've spotted an army approaching from the northwest. They appear to be Tyfirian, but they are marching under the royal banner."

"What?" Ormek shouted. "All troops have been ordered to refrain from using that banner until..." Ormek stopped mid sentence and considered the possibility that the assumed dead king may have escaped from his cell. Talrid could have easily organized an army to fight Ormek. If that were the case, the approaching army could be a serious threat.

General Ormek rode to the front of his troops and shouted out his orders. "We have spotted an army advancing on our position. All troops are to here by change course and head due east. I am going to investigate. Continue marching until I return. In the mean time Major Lucrus shall lead.

"Do not engage this army unless given no other choice," Ormek ordered Lucrus, who had rejoined Ormek's troops after his run in with Sogos in the Shadow Woods. With that Ormek rode off with Shriek and a scout close behind him.

"Do you think the king got out somehow?" Shriek asked.

"It is possible," Ormek said as he scratched his recently grown beard. "I just hope they do not know we are here." Luckily for Ormek, the region he and his army were currently in was very mountainous, so even though the armies were only a few miles away neither could see the other. In fact the other army was completely unaware of the presence of Ormek's militia.

The scout led Ormek around a mountain to the location of the other army's camp. It took them three hours to make the trip.

"That is definitely one of ours," Ormek said as he peered through the spy's telescope. "However they should not be presenting the royal banner." Ormek contemplated the situation for a second and then removed his shoulder armor. "I am going in for a closer look. You stay here." Ormek ordered the scout. He covered his face with a bandanna and made his way into the camp. Because he was already in uniform, the general had no problem passing himself off as a simple soldier. Ormek blended in with the other soldiers and eavesdropped on as many conversations as he could. From what he overheard, he discovered that king Talrid had indeed escaped and the army he was leading was going after Ormek to bring him to justice.

"It looks as if though I underestimated the king," Ormek said too himself. "It is time I pay him a visit." With his knowledge of typical military camp layouts, Ormek easily found his way to Talrid's tent unnoticed. When he arrived he found the tent was empty. He took refuge in the tent, removed the bandanna from his face, and waited for his opportunity. He stayed hidden in the darkness for nearly half an hour before Talrid strolled into his tent with Colonel Syrus by his side. Ormek leapt out behind the king and grabbed his left arm. He twisted it, forced Talrid into submission, and then pressed a knife up against Talrid's throat, all before Syrus could react.

"What's going on, sire?" Ormek asked cruelly. "Do not bother calling for help or I will cut his throat," the general told Syrus. The colonel froze, still sunned by what happened.

"I have been looking for you Ormek," Talrid said calmly.

Ormek ignored him and looked at Syrus. "I take it then, it was you who released him?" Ormek asked his onetime cohort. "Why?"

"Things were getting out of hand," Syrus answered. "You were never supposed to imprison the king or take the entire Cyntirian population prisoner."

"You treacherous worm," Ormek growled, "I never should have left you in charge of Tyfiria while I was gone. Though I suppose it does not matter now. Cantarus has fallen and I have taken Latimar prisoner. Cyntir is ours Talrid. What do you say? You keep the land we won and I do not have to kill you." Ormek threatened the king even though he had no intention of harming him. He wanted Talrid to rule both Cyntir and Tyfiria, even if he had to persuade him to do so.

"I can not allow an act of treason such as yours go unpunished," Talrid said defiantly. "You will be brought to justice even if I die." Ormek suddenly felt the other presence pressing at his mind and tightened his grip on the knife.

"Don't make me do this," Ormek pleaded.

"You do not have to do anything," Talrid said, "Return Latimar to his throne and put an end to the hatred."

"That, I simply can not do," Ormek said, "Latimar must pay for his crimes against us."

"Then you must pay for your crimes against his people," Talrid rebutted. Ormek unexpectedly found himself contemplating killing king Talrid as his anger grew. His eyes blackened and the space around him seemed to bend.

"I have done no wrong," Ormek said in his metallic voice. Upon hearing his distorted voice, the general realized the Triforce of Knowledge was altering his thoughts again. Ormek struggled to pull the knife away, but it was if he had no control over his arm. "No... not Talrid," Ormek muttered. Syrus saw his chance and attacked with his long sword. Ormek suddenly regained control over his arm and turned Syrus's strike away with a well placed slash with his knife, but freed Talrid in doing so.

"If you will not take the Cyntirians as captives they must be destroyed," Ormek said coldly and kicked Syrus in the gut. Syrus fell back and crashed onto a table sitting in the middle of the tent. Ormek bolted out of the tent and Talrid yelled for the nearby soldiers to stop him. Ormek fended off several soldiers, but was soon surrounded by them. They were about to attack when a loud high-pitched screech sounded through the camp. The soldiers around Ormek clasped their ears and howled as they lost consciousness. The scream fell harmlessly on Ormek's shortened ears and he managed to flee from the camp. Shriek followed close behind, but he was hit by a large rock thrown by one of the soldiers who was far enough away from the fairy's cry to be unaffected.

The stone landed on top of Shriek and crushed his tiny body. Ormek ran back and snatched the fairy off the ground. He then fled up the side of the mountain and managed to disappear into the trees. He climbed one of the trees and held Shriek out with one hand.

"This looks like it's it from me," Shriek whispered.

"You are going to make it. That's an order," Ormek said in a trembling voice. Shriek smiled at the hylian, but did not speak again. A single tear managed to escape from Ormek's eyes. "So, long old friend," Ormek said fighting back the tears. The Tyfirian then hopped out of the tree and ran as fast as he was able until he met up with his scout. Ormek took the time to bury his oldest friend and raise a small mound over his grave. Because of the danger of being caught by Talrid's men, Ormek had to leave Shriek without giving him a proper send off. The two Tyfirians then rode off unseen. Before sunrise the next day, Ormek and his companion overtook their unit. Once he arrived, the general rode to the front of the convoy.

"The army we found is indeed unfriendly," Ormek said to his men. "They seek to liberate our prisoners, but we can not let that happen. Unfortunately they have blocked the path to Tamerec. Now we must deal out an appropriate punishment for the Cyntirians and Latimar. It is time the Cyntirians suffer the way we suffered. To the pits of despair!"


	20. Chapter Twenty: The Pits of Despair

Chapter Twenty: The Pits of Despair 

Link pulled back on the reigns of his horse and slowed it to a stop. He had been on the trail of Ormek for over two weeks. Though most of the Tyfirians in the army were on foot, Link had not managed to catch up with them. He could have caught them within in a matter of days, but the Tyfirians made it to the mountains first and the stony earth they passed over made them difficult to track. However, Link discovered a Tyfirian army earlier that morning and for that reason he thought his journey may soon be over.

Link followed the soldiers for the whole day, but he stayed far enough away that he would not be detected them. He could not see General Ormek or any of the Cyntirian prisoners from his position though. The hero followed the Tyfirians until they stopped marching about four hours after dusk. He waited out of sight until most of the soldiers had gone to bed. He then carefully made his way into the camp. Link ducked behind several tents to keep himself hidden. Because of the small number of soldiers on guard duty, he had no problem exploring the camp, but he could not find Ormek anywhere.

After fifteen minutes of searching, the Hyrulian finally came across a familiar face. The man was none other than Colonel Syrus. He was confident the colonel would know the whereabouts of Ormek, so Link crept up behind Syrus seized his arm, twisted it behind his back, and held a knife to his throat.

"Tell me where Ormek is," Link demanded. Syrus was shocked at first, but he relaxed once he realized it was not General Ormek.

"You're the second person this week who managed to infiltrate our camp," Syrus chuckled. "I guess I should put more men on guard duty at night."

"Tell me where he is now," Link said emotionlessly as he pressed his knife against the Tyfirian's throat.

"I don't know where he is," Syrus choked.

"You lie," Link growled.

"No," Syrus gasped, "The general is no longer working for Tyfiria. He took one of our armies a few days back and disappeared into the mountains." Link looked deep into Syrus's eyes and could find no falsehood in his words.

"I thought you were one of Ormek's most loyal lackeys." Link said, "Why did you not go with him?"

"Ormek's insane," Syrus said as he tried to pull his neck away from Link's knife. "That Triforce piece has changed him. It's been nothing but trouble since Ormek got it."

"Then we can agree on something," Link said as he sheathed his knife. "If Ormek is not here, I have no reason to stay." Link turned and was about to leave, when Syrus called out to him.

"After you escaped from the desert, Ormek told me you were the only one who could defeat him," Syrus said, "Is that true? Can you do something to stop him?"

"If I knew where he was, I might be able to beat him, yes." Link confirmed.

"Then I may be willing to help you find the general," Syrus said, "Follow me." Link drew his knife again and pressed it against the colonel's back.

"Betray me and you are dead," Link said grimly. Syrus then led Link deeper into the camp and into Talrid's tent. The Tyfirian king was looking at map spread out over a table and was surrounded by several Tyfirian officers.

"Sire," Syrus said as he entered, "This is Link. He was at the Temple of Knowledge when General Ormek stole the Triforce. He has come in search of the general. He says he can defeat ol' Ormek."

"Really," Talrid said intrigued by such a notion, "how exactly do you plan to do that?"

"I only plan to take the Triforce of Knowledge from him," Link answered, "After he loses the Triforce he will lose his power."

"Yes, that would make sense," Talrid said with a chuckle, "but how do you plan to get the Triforce from him?" Link showed Talrid the Talon of Soarlec and explained its function. "Are you sure you can pull this off?" Talrid asked.

"No," Link said grimly, "But I have to try."

"Excellent," Talrid said with a smile. "Now if we could just find Ormek we might be able to stop him from carrying out his stupid plan, whatever it is. Ormek infiltrated our camp not three days ago. We have been tracking him and his men, but they have managed to cover their trail very well."

"Tell me about it," Link muttered.

"We know he is heading northeast, but to what destination we know not. There are no cities, Tyfirian or Cyntirian, in that direction."

"What is over there?" Link asked. Talrid motioned for Link to come to the table and look at the map. Link did as the king requested and looked at the northeast corner of the chart.

"Just a bunch of mountains and the pits," Talrid said.

"What pits?" Link asked.

"The pits of despair," Talrid replied. "They are a group of craters filled with an acidic liquid we call gibdo blood. They were used by the Cyntirians for the mass executions of my people many years ago."

"That is the place," Link shouted, "That is where Ormek is going."

"Why would he go there?" Talrid asked confused."

"Ormek took hundreds of Cyntirians from Cantarus as prisoners," Link answered. "I faced him during the battle at Cyntir's capital. He told me he planned to exterminate the Cyntirians. If Ormek is looking for revenge, I can see no better way to get it than by throwing the Cyntirians in those pits."

"No," Syrus said under his breath, "Is there any end to Ormek's madness. How did he go from simply conquering Cyntir to trying to exterminate an entire nation?"

"If Ormek does what you think he will, Link," Talrid said, "Cyntir's allies may no longer hold back simply because we used to be slaves. Killing those civilians is the worst thing Ormek could do. Things could not be worse."

"Yes they could," Link said grimly, "The Cyntirian king is one Ormek's prisoners." Talrid sighed and immediately ordered his officers to ready the troops for departure.

"We can not let Ormek execute Latimar," Talrid said to Syrus, "But by the time our men catch his, it may be too late. We must catch up. Syrus, you know Ormek better than anyone. I want you to take Link and head to the pits of despair. Do whatever is necessary to keep those Cyntirians and Latimar alive." Syrus nodded and left the tent with Link close behind. Link retrieved his horse, while Syrus did the same, and the two former enemies rode off into the night.

Syrus took the lead, as he was the one who knew where the pits of despair were, though he had never actually been there before. Link felt uneasy riding with a Tyfirian. He had fought on the Cyntirian side for so long, he had begun to think of the Tyfirians as his enemies. Link and Syrus rode for several hours before they stopped to rest. Their journey was filled with an awkward silence. Both men were filled with distrust for the other. They rode for two days without uttering a single word. Eventually Link grew tired of the quiet and spoke.

"What was the deal with those pits?" Link asked.

"The Cyntirians dug several passages into the craters. Whenever they thought the slave population was too large, they would round up random slaves and lock them in the passages. Every few weeks or so, the level of gibdo blood rises and if anyone was in the tunnels when that happened, the gibdo blood would burn the flesh off the bones of the victims. Occasionally, a victim would not die, but would be turned into an undead creature. We don't know why that happens though."

"That is awful," Link said in disgust. "Did you ever know anyone who was killed that way?"

"No," Syrus shook his head, "but King Talrid lost his brother that way and Ormek lost his grandmother and uncle."

"How did those two turn out so different?" Link asked, not expecting an answer. "I mean, Talrid seems like he only wants peace, but Ormek is obsessed with revenge."

"Well," Syrus started, "Ormek has been through a lot more than most Tyfirians. When he was nineteen, back when he was still a captain, he was in charge of defending a mountain pass leading to the new founded Tyfirian capital. An unexpected Cyntirian army attacked suddenly one day and caught Ormek and his men unaware. Just as Ormek was about to lose the pass he started a massive avalanche and blocked it, but he killed most his own men in the process. The Cyntirians on the other hand captured Ormek.

"During the first war, all captured Tyfirian rebels were shipped to an island in the Sea of Gidd. On the island there was a coliseum where the Tyfirians were starved, beaten, and then forced to fight various beasts and some time each other for the amusement of the Cyntirian nobles and their allies. Most Tyfirians lasted only lasted a couple months before they succumbed to death, Ormek lasted two years. He watched countless Tyfirians tortured and forced to fight until they died. With each Tyfirian that Ormek watched perish, his resolve to survive increased. He swore he would avenge his companions' deaths. However, the longer Ormek survived, the more determined the Cyntirians became to kill him. They rigged many of his fights in his opponent's favor, but Ormek's tenacity was unbreakable. He beat everything they threw at him.

"Eventually the Cyntirians' determination to humiliate and kill Ormek backfired. You see, Latimar was hoping to build and alliance with Acromiar, which as you probably know is the strongest military nation in the world. Latimar wanted his son to marry the princess of Acromiar in order to solidify the alliance. However the Acromiarian king would not allow such a union until Latimar's son proved himself to be an able bodied warrior. For the king of Acromiar respects nothing more than a great warrior. Latimar decided to have his son fight Ormek. Of course it was not a fair fight. Before the duel, Ormek was taken to the coliseum and the Cyntirians nailed his feet to the ground.

"I don't know how Ormek did it, but he still won the fight. He didn't kill the Cyntirian prince, but he effectively disgraced him in front of the kings of Acromiar and Cyntir. Latimar wanted to execute Ormek for humiliating him, but the Acromiarian king would not let such a warrior be killed in such a disgraceful way. Still, Latimar wanted someone to pay for his son's disgrace and he ordered the execution of every other Tyfirian on that island and Ormek was forced to watch as his companions were brutally killed one by one. Then Ormek was forced to fight gigantic creatures again and again, until the Tyfirian rebels finally discovered the island. When we attacked, the Cyntirians panicked and retreated. When we found Ormek, he was chained up, scarred, beaten, bleeding, near death, and alone. He was the only survivor.

"After that Ormek's thirst for revenge intensified. He said he was responsible for the executions of his fellow Tyfirians. He never managed to forgive himself for wining the duel against Latimar's son. He always used to tell me if he had lost and died, the hundreds of other Tyfirians would have lived. After that, he dedicated his life to defeating Cyntir, but after the war was over, he felt that he had not avenged the deaths of those on the island or his grandfather. He simply could not forget what he saw on that island or during his time as a slave.

"One day he remembered a page of ancient writing his grandfather gave to him in the Temple of Knowledge before the old man was killed. He traveled to Hyrule and translated the text. That's how he discovered the Triforce of Knowledge and how to get it."

Link was awe struck with the tale of Ormek's life. The man was haunted by his past; similar to the way Link was haunted by his. Link always felt responsible for allowing Ganondorf to get the Triforce of Power and conquer Hyrule and the fact that no one could remember what happened or understand his pain only increased his inner torment. At that moment Link felt a strange kinship with Ormek, the man he had fought against for over two months. He and Ormek were not as different as he originally thought. They were both haunted by their pasts and they both fought for what they thought was right, but Ormek's mind was clouded with anger and hatred and that made all the difference.

"You know Link," Syrus said as he slowly became more comfortable with the mercenary, "it wasn't Ormek's plan to kill the Cyntirians or even take them as slaves, at least not initially. He did want to conquer Cyntir and imprison their king and his nobles, but he only wanted to exile the common folk to Nicrosia. But when he got the Triforce of Knowledge, he changed. His anger increased and his hatred was renewed. It was like he was a different person, at times it was almost like he was being controlled. I know you must think I'm crazy, but I don't know if Ormek is entirely in control of himself." Link recalled how at Cantarus, Ormek seemed to be the very embodiment of evil one second and then an honorable warrior the next.

"No, it makes perfect sense," Link said to Syrus. "Ormek could have killed me at Cantarus, but he did not. Though, during my fight with him it did seem as though someone or something was trying force its will on Ormek. Because I am alive we can be sure at least part of the honorable side of Ormek is left. There must be, otherwise the Cyntirians he has with him will all be doomed.

"Get them below," Major Lucrus ordered his men as they arrived at the pits of despair. Lucrus was in charge once again. Ormek had left the army just before they came to the pits. He said he needed some time to think and headed for another mountain peak.

The Cyntirians fought their captors as they were dragged into the passages, but they ultimately were unable to avoid entering their new prison. The passages were semicircular and wrapped around the inside of the pit. They wound down through the crater until they plunged into a pool of gibdo blood. Strong iron bars were used to complete the walls of the passages, so each prisoner had an excellent view of the pit and the level of the eerie green gibdo blood.

Once all of the Cyntirians were in the tunnels, the Tyfirians closed an iron gate and locked it. The key was brought to Lucrus and he laughed cruelly as he received it.

"Finally, these Cyntirians are going to get what they deserve," Lucrus chuckled. Lucrus and his men then patiently waited for the return of General Ormek. They waited for a little more than two hours before their commander-in-chief returned. He looked as if he had been in a fierce battle. He was barely able to keep his eyes open and walked like every ounce of his energy had been taken from him.

"Sir," Major Lucrus reported to Ormek and handed him the key to the pit passages, "All of our prisoners have been herded into the crater tunnels. Now we just have to wait for the pits of despair to erupt and the Cyntirians will all be toast!"

"We need not wait," Ormek said weakly. He pulled a glass vile containing a yellow powder from his belt and showed it to Lucrus. "This compound, when mixed with gibdo blood causes a violent chemical reaction," Ormek explained, "If we were to throw it into the pits, the acid would start to convulse and our captives would be destroyed."

"Why wait then?" Lucrus asked, "Toss it into the pits and let the Cyntirians suffer the way our ancestors did."

"I can not do that," Ormek said softly, "I can not give up my last advantage quite yet. Lucrus, round up the troops, I must speak with them." Lucrus saluted and did as he was ordered. Minutes later, Ormek addressed his men.

"This is the end of the line," Ormek declared. "At this time, I order all men to return home. Our campaign against Cyntir is over, we have failed." The soldiers all spoke out confused.

"But sir, we captured every major city in Cyntir," one of the soldiers called out.

"Yes," Ormek agreed, "but all of the people we took from those cities are going to be returned, if they have not been already."

"Why? How?" a different soldier asked.

"Because Talrid will not keep them," Ormek answered.

"Talrid?" the soldiers said amongst themselves, "but Talrid was murdered by the Cyntirians. You told us so."

"No," Ormek chuckled cruelly, "It was a lie. I removed the king from his throne and said Cyntirians murdered him in order to increase enlistment numbers. It was necessary for the invasion. However, Talrid is now free. He was the one leading the army we saw last week and he is coming after us. No, he is coming after me. He seeks to punish me for my crimes. All of you were simply following orders and you will not be held responsible. I am releasing you from my command to prevent the spilling of anymore Tyfirian blood. We have all lost enough friends as it is." Ormek lowered his head in remembrance of his fallen comrades, but he thought of Shriek the most.

"Because I could not control my anger, Shriek is dead," Ormek thought to himself.

"I will not waste your lives to protect my own!" Ormek told his men, "I am willing to accept the consequences of my actions." Ormek loathed admitting his transgressions to his men, but he felt free for the first time since he stole the Triforce of Knowledge, free from his lies.

Some of the Tyfirians tried to advance and capture Ormek at this point; others stood in the way, swearing allegiance to the general, the rest were unsure of what course of action to take.

"All Tyfirians move out!" Ormek yelled. He tried to yell again, but his voice died out. He slowly walked to the edge of the pit and held out the yellow compound. "Those of you still loyal to King Talrid should know I can activate the pits now with this compound and kill all the prisoners including Talrid. If you do not leave now or try to take me with you as you vacate the premises, I will drop the vile and sentence the Cyntirians to death. I happen to know Talrid would not be pleased if that happened. Go back to Talrid's side and tell him if I see so much as a single soldier approaching, I'll exterminate my prisoners. Those who are loyal to me, I order you to run. Live to fight another day. I may have failed in bringing justice to the Cyntirians, but you may still do so. All those undecided, leave now and keep your good names clean. Now, all of you leave me to my end!"

Eventually all of the Tyfirians left. Some headed home. Some went in search of Talrid's army. Others fled into the mountains swearing they would complete the work Ormek started. Only Major Lucrus stayed behind, though he hid himself from Ormek. He did not plan to leave until the Cyntirian prisoners were dead.

After all his men were gone, Ormek sat on a rock and rolled up the left sleeve of his Tyfirian blue coat. He revealed a mark that the Cyntirians branded him with when he was sent to the island in the Sea of Gidd.

"I have failed them," Ormek said to himself, "I have failed you Gramps. I allowed my newfound power to corrupt me. Now I have lost my position in Tyfiria and I can no longer do anything to help the Tyfirians survive. I have rekindled the hatred between Cyntir and Tyfiria. War with Cyntir's allies will not be far behind and I will be unable to help my people stop them. I have condemned my country, all because I could not control the Triforce of Knowledge."

"There is only one thing left that I can do. Wait for the hero and defeat him. With his power added to my own, perhaps I may be able to defeat Cyntir's allies with out the use of armies."

Link and Syrus arrived at the pits of despair on the evening of the fifth day after they left Talrid and his army. To their surprise they came across a group of soldiers headed away from the pits. Syrus ordered one of the soldiers to tell him where he was going.

"General Ormek has ordered all troops to go home," the soldier said.

"What?" Syrus gasped.

"I must say, this makes defeating Ormek a lot simpler," Link said, "You, soldier, where is Ormek now?"

"He's back at the pits," the soldier answered, "but don't even think about going after him. He has the Cyntirians trapped and ready for execution. He has also developed some sort of chemical that will allow him to activate an eruption in the pits. If he spots you he'll set the pits off.

"There are only two of us," Link said, "He will never see us coming."

"Suit yourselves," the soldier said, "It's no skin off my nose if you guys end up killing the Cyntirians, just as long as I don't get blamed for it." The soldier took off, as did several of his companions and Link headed for the pits along with Syrus. They moved slowly to prevent themselves from being seen.

After they scaled the mountain around the crater they spotted Ormek sitting at the edge of the pit, staring blankly into the pool of gibdo blood. It seemed like Ormek was unaware of Link and Syrus's presence. Link withdrew the Talon of Soarlec, but before he could activate it Ormek spoke.

"That would not be wise Link," he said. "If you were to hit me with that now, I might tumble into the pit with this." Ormek then revealed the vile containing the yellow powder. "If this mixes with the gibdo blood, all of my captives will perish. Though I do not see why I should not rid myself of them now. True, they will prevent Talrid from coming for me here, but eventually the pits will erupt on their own and I will have lost my only advantage. I should just kill them now and run before Talrid gets here with his army." Ormek stood up and held the compound over the pit.

"So long Latimar!" Ormek yelled.

"Wait," Link called out. Ormek turned to face Link and pulled the vile back. "I know you do not really want to kill those Cyntirians," Link said calmly. "I know what the Triforce of Knowledge is doing to you. I know that it is filling your mind with evil. Get rid of it and end this madness. It is not too late to make things right. Set the Cyntirians free."

"I have a better idea," Ormek said as he removed a key from his belt. "I will release all of the Cyntirians, including Latimar, if you agree to a duel to the death. We both get one weapon to fight with. The winner takes the loser's Triforce piece." Link did not like Ormek's proposition, he was about to decline, but Ormek continued to speak before he could answer.

"The duel is your best possible course of action," the Tyfirian said. "If you refuse, I'll kill the Cyntirians and come after your Triforce anyway, so you gain nothing by rejecting my proposition."

"Why do you want the Triforce of Courage?" Link asked suspiciously.

"I have lost my command over the troops of Tyfiria," Ormek answered, "I need another way to defeat Cyntir's allies. They must be eliminated before they attack Tyfiria. If I had the Triforce of Courage I could use magic. I could conjure spells strong enough to wipe out entire armies."

"As I suspected," Link thought to himself, "he plans to continue his conquest even now. I can not duel Ormek, if I lose he will take my Triforce piece and then no one will be able to stop him. However, I can not let him destroy the Cyntirians. I have no choice"

"Fine," Link said grudgingly, "but you have to release the prisoners first."

"As you wish," Ormek agreed. He tossed the key and the compound to Syrus. "Be a good boy and let the dogs out of their cage." Ormek scoffed. Link nodded to Syrus and the colonel set out to release the Cyntirians.

"Now then," Ormek said, "Choose one weapon and we will begin." Link drew his trusty sword and Ormek unsheathed one of his own blades. The two warriors circled each other for several seconds before Ormek launched his first attack. Link blocked the blow and countered, but his strike was also deflected. Link was a little stunned that he even managed get an attack off, but he quickly put those thoughts out of his mind.

Link and Ormek then continued to exchange blows. The battle did not go as Link expected. Ormek seemed slower and like he actually had to think about his moves before he performed them. It was as if he was a normal warrior, still Link could not manage to get passed the general's defenses, but Ormek could not get passed Link's either.

Syrus ran the entire way to the gate to the pit tunnels. He was about to unlock the gate when he was blind-sided by Major Lucrus.

"Where are you going with that key, traitor?" Lucrus growled. Syrus got back to his feet, but the major attacked before Syrus recovered completely. The colonel managed to draw his sword and the two Cyntirian officers started a duel of their own.

Link dodged Ormek's sword and then lunged at his enemy. The edge of Link's blade grazed Ormek's arm and cut through his chain mail. Blood started to trickle down his arm. The Tyfirian growled and continued to fight as if he hand not been touched. Ormek swung relentlessly at his opponent, but Link held his blade up as his enemy's sword crashed against his over and over again. With each blow, Link found it more difficult to maintain his grip in his weapon. Soon the hero started to back peddle in an attempt to get some distance from his foe. Ormek's quick slashes slowed as he tried to follow the hero. Link used the longer time between blows to strike back. He got a lucky blow and managed to knock the sword out of Ormek's hand. The blade skidded across the ground until it stopped on the edge of the pit. Link put his back to Ormek's sword and slashed at the general fiercely. Ormek jumped back as Link put himself between the Tyfirian and his weapon.

Though Ormek still had one blade resting on his back, he did not draw it. Link was impressed, a lesser man would have drawn his other sword, but Ormek was sticking with the one weapon he chose for the battle.

Ormek carefully approached Link. The hero swiped at the Tyfirian to keep him from retrieving his sword, but as he lunged at his enemy, Ormek sidestepped and grabbed Link's wrist. He twisted it and Link dropped his sword. Ormek kicked the blade away and the two resorted to hand-to-hand combat.

Ormek had a definite advantage at this point. Link was not well trained in unarmed combat, but Ormek was. Link tried to punch the Tyfirian several times, but Ormek deflected all of the Hyrulian's blows, while he landed several of his own on Link's jaw. Link fell back with blood streaming from his nose and mouth. He retreated and picked up Ormek's sword, Ormek then dropped back and retrieved Link's. The two warriors then continued to fight awkwardly with weapons they were not used to. Link found Ormek's blade was lightweight and reacted to the slightest movement of his wrist. While Link's blade was much heavier than what Ormek was used to, but the general adjusted quicker than his adversary did. Link soon found himself in a retreating position. He fell back to a narrow ledge, which hung directly over the pit. Ormek charged and brought down Link's sword on his own. The blades locked and both hylians attempted to over power the other. Eventually, Link won the battle of strength and knocked his sword out of Ormek's hand. However, the general immediately grabbed Link's wrist and twisted the blade from his hands. Link ran back to where his blade fell and picked it up. The two warriors were back where they started.

Lucrus and Syrus were still fighting at this time. Lucrus was tiring quickly, but Syrus remained strong. Lucrus came to the realization he could not beat the sturdy colonel. In an act of pure desperation, Lucrus pounced on Syrus. He managed to knock him over and nab the vile containing Ormek's compound, but Syrus did not notice. Syrus put all of his strength into flipping Lucrus past his head. The major crashed near the brim of the pit and rolled until he careened off the edge.

Lucrus screamed as he splashed into the gibdo blood. The acid poured into his lungs and ate away his respiratory system, while his skin slowly melted off his bones. The acid dissolved the cork of the vile and Ormek's compound then mixed with the gibdo blood. The pool of acid began to bubble and foam as the level of the acid began to rise. Soon massive pillars of the corrosive liquid shot out of the pool and the entire mountain quaked.

Syrus cursed under his breath as he unlocked the gate and freed the Cyntirians, he then ran from the mountain. The newly freed prisoners rushed out of the tunnels, each Cyntirian looking out only for himself. Many of the captives were trampled as they tried to escape or were crushed by the debris falling from the collapsing passages. Latimar tried to get his subjects to move aside for him, but they ignored his authority. Because of his girth, Latimar was unable to keep up with his fleeing people and slowed down those who were behind him. The Cyntirians panicked and pushed their king down. His own subjects then trampled him to death.

Unaware of the death of the man he hated more than any other, Ormek continued to duel with Link on the edge of the unstable pit. Link was tiring quickly and knew he could not beat Ormek unless he tried something unexpected. He noticed that the convulsions of the pits had substantially weakened the earth the two men fought on. In a desperate attempt to win the duel, Link backed up and put all of his strength into a downward thrust and plunged his blade into the weakened earth. Once he pulled the sword out, the ground broke apart and the two warriors slid down the inside of the crater. Link landed on ledge about six feet above the rising pool of gibdo blood while Ormek landed on a rock encircled by the acid.

Ormek was trapped, the only way off the rock was onto Link's ledge, but it was too far for Ormek to reach. Link saw his chance and whipped out Soarlec's Talon. He recited the ancient chant and the talon was surrounded by flame. A beam of fire shot at Ormek and began the extraction process. This time Ormek received no help, for all of his of his allies were spent. Before long a golden ray of light shot out of Ormek's body. It rose straight up into the sky and then suddenly changed direction. It then headed southwest towards the Temple of Knowledge. It then sealed the gate to the secluded part of the Sacred Realm forever. With its task finished, the Talon of Soarlec crumbled and fell to the ground in pieces.

Ormek removed the gauntlet on his right hand. He and Link both saw that the symbol of the Triforce was gone. Ormek simply sighed and dropped his head. With his mission accomplished, Link laid himself across the ledge and offered his hand to Ormek.

"We are finished here," Link called out. "Take my hand and we will get out of here."

Ormek sheathed his sword and somberly said, "I have betrayed my people and condemned them to fighting a war against Cyntir's allies, a war, which they can not win. I have lost the only opportunity I had to redeem myself. I am undeserving of your help, Link."

"You released the Cyntirians and kept your honor," Link said boldly. "I would be honored to save your life." Link awaited Ormek's response eagerly as the level of gibdo blood rose rapidly.

"No," Ormek yelled, "I must be held responsible for my evil deeds. I am not deserving of mercy. Farewell Link." Ormek then saluted Link. The hero pulled back his hand and backed away from the ledge. He was torn between staying with his enemy and leaving. Only seconds later, a pillar of gibdo blood shot out of the pit and blocked Link's view of Ormek. When the acid returned to the pit, Link saw only the rock his adversary once stood upon covered with the green acid.

"Good bye Ormek," Link said softly, "I too wish we could have met under better circumstances." The hero turned and climbed out of the pit as fast as he could. He got out of the crater with time to spare. By the time the gibdo blood poured over the rim of the pit, Link was already half way down the mountain.


	21. Chapter TwentyOne: Another Departure

**Chapter Twenty-One: Another Departure**

Link slowly walked away from the pits of despair. He was full of mixed feelings, he defeated Ormek and returned the Triforce of Knowledge to its rightful place and therefore he had reason to be relieved, but somehow his victory seemed incomplete. The way his adventure ended seemed wrong. He thought about it and realized it was Ormek's death that disturbed him. Early in his adventure, Link thought of Ormek as an evil lunatic, but the more he learned about the general's past the more he respected him. He was a man of honor, a great warrior and a brilliant military tactician, but his hatred for the Cyntirians was his downfall.

Link could not help but wonder if Ormek was really responsible for all of his actions. Back at Cantarus it seemed to Link that Ormek was not entirely in control of himself as if though the Triforce of Knowledge was controlling him rather than the other way around. Still, Ormek was by no means innocent. He did steal the Triforce piece with the intent to destroy Cyntir and Link sensed that part of Ormek always wanted to destroy the Cyntirians.

No, Link thought, Ormek knew what he was getting into when he stole the Triforce of Knowledge. He was completely responsible for what happened to Cyntir and Tyfiria, yet Link could not help but feel as though he lost a friend once the pits engulfed Ormek. It was a strange notion, after all Link and Ormek were enemies to the end, but Link found something in Ormek that reminded him of him self.

Ormek had a past that was nearly as disturbing as Link's. According to Syrus, Ormek was the only Tyfirian to survive being recaptured by Cyntir during the first war. The general experienced horrors during his captivity that others could not even imagine, similar to the way no one could comprehend watching the end of the world time after time as Link did in Termina. It was a rare occurrence to find someone who was the only person in the world who could understand a certain kind of torment. Perhaps the reason Link felt remorse for Ormek was he equated himself with the general.

He wanted Ormek to be able to put his past behind him and accept help back at the pits. If Ormek managed to do away with his thirst for revenge there was hope for Link, that he may someday be able to put his own past behind him and find peace. However, in the end Ormek could not destroy his hatred for the Cyntirians and instead it destroyed him and so Link could still not see any hope from himself.

After hours of wandering around the base of the mountain, Link ran into Syrus.

"How did it go? Did you defeat Ormek?" Syrus asked anxiously. Link nodded slowly. "Since he's not with you, I take it he escaped." Syrus said.

"No," Link replied somberly, "After I extracted the Triforce of Knowledge his spirit was crushed. He was trapped on a rock surrounded by gibdo blood. I tried to help him, but he refused. He allowed himself to be consumed."

"It's just as well," Syrus said sadly, "The Tyfirian people and the Cyntirians would have demanded his blood had he survived. At least this way he got to die with honor." Link nodded and started to leave, but Syrus stopped him.

"Don't leave Link. King Talrid will want to thank you," Syrus said.

"For what?" Link asked, "Ormek released the prisoners on his own."

"I guess that's true," Syrus said, "But I'm sure he'd like to thank you anyway."

Link shook his head slowly, "I have completed my mission, and it is time I returned to my unit of mercenaries."

"At least allow me to return you your horse," Syrus said. Link agreed to wait while Syrus got his horse. Once he returned, Link immediately mounted his steed, said goodbye to Syrus, and rode off. He took his time returning to Cantarus. He was no longer racing against the clock like he had been for the past few months, like he had in Hyrule and Termina.

Link did not want to go back to Cantarus and rejoin the Calrigans. The war had opened his eyes. The Calrigans did not really care who they fought for as long as they got paid. They claimed they only fought for causes they believed in, but when Erigad refused to go after the Tyfirians, Link realized it was just a lie the mercenaries used to put their employers at ease. Link would have simply rode off into distance and never returned, but he had to go back to the mercenary base to retrieve Epona. Besides, Link felt obligated to say good bye to Chiron. With Calrith dead, Chiron was the only friend the hero had left, Link would leave him behind anyway, but not before a proper goodbye.

When Link arrived at Cantarus he found the Calrigans still outside the city walls. He made his way to General Erigad's tent and inquired of the whereabouts of Chiron.

"All of your little friends left," Erigad informed Link. "The farmer went home and the sailor and the gerudo took one of the Tyfirian ships and left."

"You gave them one of the ships?" Link asked.

"Yeah," Erigad confirmed, "The Cyntirians were so grateful that we scared off the Tyfirians, they broke into the royal treasury and paid us for our help. As per our agreement, I gave the sailor a ship." Erigad then pointed to a good-sized pile of gold, jewels, and rupees and said, "Speaking of which, this is your finder's fee for guiding us here."

Link pocketed five hundred rupees and told Erigad to give the rest to the Cyntirian people. Link turned to leave, but stopped to tell Erigad something.

"By the way," he said, "all of the Cyntirians the Tyfirians captured during the war are going to be returned to Cyntir. Be sure to tell the people that." Link then left and set out for Chiron's ranch.

Just as Link promised all of the Cyntirians returned to their ruined homes within a few weeks. King Talrid met with the late King Latimar's son, the new king of Cyntir and they formed a treaty in which the Tyfirians promised to help rebuild the cities Ormek destroyed and return every single Cyntirian taken captive. In exchange, the Tyfirians kept the zora peninsula and maintained partial control over South Port Town. It was a fair treaty, but Ormek had already done his damage.

There was still bad blood between Tyfiria and Cyntir. Rumors already existed that Cyntir was rallying its allies for another war against their northern neighbors. South Port Town soon became a violent place as both Cyntirians and Tyfirians made it clear they did not want to share the city with each other. In Tyfiria a small faction of soldiers defected swearing to finish the destruction of Cyntir that Ormek started. They continued to pillage Cyntirian villages and terrorize the Cyntirian people. Yet, in time, peace slowly returned to both nations, though tensions remained high.

Link, however, was not around to see things go back to normal. After he left Cantarus, he headed straight to Chiron's ranch, but when he arrived at his destination he froze. Part of him wanted to just leave. Link thought about how he betrayed Chiron by forcing him to remain in Cyntir. He also thought about how Chiron would react to his return. He would ask Link if he wiped the floor with Ormek and various other questions the Hyrulian was not ready to be asked. After a few minutes of contemplation, Link decided to pass the ranch and continue on his way off the continent of Bylar. After all, he had left closer friends than Chiron without saying a word.

Though at the time, Link thought of Chiron as a friend, the farmer would eventually just become another person in Link's past the warrior would wish he could forget. Even so, Chiron could never possibly understand what the hero of Hyrule, Termina, and now Cyntir went through. At that time Link felt more alone in the world than he had since he left Termina. He had once again saved the world from utter destruction and again, no one else knew it.

On his way to South Port Town, Link thought a lot about Chiron and other people he had once known. He wondered what was going on in Hyrule and Termina. He had not seen either of those places in ten years and while Link did not know how to get back to Termina, he always knew where Hyrule was.

Link stayed at a small inn in South Port Town that night. At that time, the seaport was full of Tyfirians eagerly sending out commercial sea liners to begin trade with other nations. At least one good thing came out of the war; Tyfiria was now able to support itself without having to steal from Cyntir or other nations.

Once Link got to his room he made an inventory of all his equipment to see if he should buy anything before he left Cyntir. He laid all of his items on the floor and surveyed them. His bow needed restringing and his quiver and bomb bag were running low on munitions, but everything else was intact. Link was about to put everything back when he noticed a blue ocarina among his possessions. He looked at the instrument thoroughly for what seemed like the first time in years.

The hero slowly brought the Ocarina to his lips and played the song of healing he learned in Termina. The song was supposed to heal the soul. Link had often used the song to heal the souls of others, but not matter how many times he played it the song never healed his. Link soon changed the tune to that of the song of time, the song that allowed him to travel through time in earlier days. Link hoped that somehow, the song could return him to his days in the Kokiri Forest, before the weight of the world was placed on his shoulders, but his notes only echoed emptily in his room.

Link then put away the Ocarina of Time and went straight to bed. His songs brought back painful old memories, which mixed with his new painful memories of Cyntir, Tyfiria, and Ormek. As usual, Link's sleep was full of nightmares that night. He awoke the next morning exhausted. He gathered up all of his things, checked out of his room, and then headed to the docks. He wandered on the wharf until he came across a ship that was about ready to leave. Link decided to hop on the ship and go wherever it was headed.

When Link asked one of the crew where the ship was going, the sailor replied ecstatically, "This here ship is headed for Calrico, sir." Link nodded his head slowly. Calrico was the nation in which the base of the Calrigan was located. Link knew he would have to go back sometime and retrieve Epona and since he was already on a ship headed that way, he decided to get his resignation over with.

"I am tired of working for men who care only about money," Link said to himself. "The only thing that I ever got for working for the mercenaries was more misery. Perhaps it is time I retired from the mercenary business." Link paid the captain for passage on to his ship and soon the boat set sail.

Link did not spend much time in Calrico, he simply went to the base, retrieved Epona, and then informed the head mercenary that he could no longer fight for meaningless causes. Once Link left the base he picked a random direction and rode off. He meandered through the land for days until he came across a road sign which pointed northward. Written in bold letters the sign read:

HYRULE

Link had not been to Hyrule in so long that he had nearly forgotten that Calrico and Hyrule were on the same continent. The hero seriously contemplated returning to his childhood home for the first time in ten years.

"I am tired of wandering aimlessly," Link said to himself after staring at the sign for nearly an hour. "All my journeys have only brought me more misery. Perhaps it is time I finally returned to Hyrule." Link gently kicked Epona's side and the horse galloped off. Link was on his way back to the only place he had ever called home.

The End

* * *

Author's Note: Well that's it for this story. I hope all five of the people who actually read this, enjoyed reading it as much as enjoyed writing it. I wish more people would read and review. Oh well. Hey, if anybody actually does read this far, go ahead and review, even if it's just to tell me you read the whole thing. I want to know how many people actually read it. Also, let me know what you thought of my first fanfic if you like. 

Well, my minimal amount of reviews hasn't discouraged me from writing. In fact, I've already got a sequel to the Lost Legend of the Triforce in on Ha, that's right, you didn't want it, but you're gettin' it anyway. So if you enjoyed this story, look around this site for The Seige of Ulron-Chi, It should be somewhere in the Zelda section. Also, from this point on, every time, I update my new story, I will update this one as well. Mostly, all I've done is fix some grammatical errors. Anyway, go and check out the exciting sequel, you won't regret it.


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